(Photo credit: Thomas Gaines, Behind the Scenez Media)
Ocala, FL-- The College of Central Florida softball team teed off against St. Johns River State on Saturday afternoon.
The Patriots (25-10, 6-4) smashed six home runs over the course of a doubleheader, which produced six-inning wins of 8-0 and 15-5 over the Vikings (12-18, 2-8).
Amy Szymanowski hit three homers on the day, including two in the second game, which was part of a five-homer effort by the Patriots in the nightcap.
Szymanowski has now homered four times over her last four games and the school's single-season and career home run leader now has 25 as a member of the Patriots.
For the day, Szymanowski (3 for 8, four runs scored, seven RBI) paced CF, which has now hit 35 home runs on the season as a team.
In the first inning of the second game, CF got home runs from Cheyenne Blaha, Taylor Morrow and Jessica Nathan for a 7-0 lead.
After the Vikings responded with five unearned runs in the second, Szymanowksi's two-run shot keyed four-run effort in the bottom half of the frame.
From there, Szymanowksi's three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning invoked the mercy rule on the Vikings, who have lost seven straight to the Patriots and 10 of the last 11.
Blaha (2 for 5, three runs scored), Morrow (3 for 7, three runs scored, five RBI), Nathan (2 for 4, run scored, four RBI), Autumn Hanners (4 for 6, two runs scored, two RBI, double), Jordan Lake (5 for 8, three runs scored, two RBI) and Lizzy Burchfield (5 for 7, two runs scored, RBI) backed Szymanowksi over the course of the doubleheader.
In the opener, Burchfield, Lane and Hanners had two hits each to back the pitching of Taylor Bowen (11-5), who hurled five scoreless innings of four-hit ball.
Bowen hasn't allowed a run in 17 innings of work at home against conference opponents.
Jamie Nelson (7-1) followed up her effort with five strong innings in the second game.
Nelson retired the last 10 batters she faced, before giving way to Hanners, who also tossed a scoreless inning in the opener behind Bowen.