(Photo courtesy of Thomas Gaines, Behind the Scenez Media)

OCALA-- The College of Central Florida softball team sent its sophomores off in winning fashion, closing out the regular season with a sweep of St. Petersburg College. 

CF honored nine sophomores before the start of their double header: Amy Szymanowski, Caylee Underwood, Jamie Nelson, Jamie Summers, Taylor Bowen, Jenna Bellach, Amber Acosta, Jessica Nathan and Alora Thompson. 

The Patriots (39-12) improved to 21-3 at home with shutout wins of 3-0 and 5-0 over the Titans (26-24). 

In closing out SPC, Taylor Bowen, Jamie Nelson and Autumn Hanners held the Titans without a run on Sophomore Day. 

Bowen earned the win in the opener, allowing just four hits, walked one and fanned five over five innings of work.  Hanners, who retired all 12 batters she faced over stints in both games, struck out four over the final two innings of the opener for the save. In the second game, Nelson allowed six hits in five scoreless innings for the win.

CF was led at the plate in the opener, by Lindsay O'Steen, whose infield single snapped a scoreless tie in the third. The Patriots plated two more runs in the sixth inning thanks to RBI singles by Lizzy Burchfield and Jenna Bellach. 

In the second game, CF then took a 2-0 lead  thanks to a two-run single by Taylor Morrow and never looked back. Morrow finished 3-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored.

The Patriots extended their lead to 4-0 with two more runs in the third off of RBI singles by Nicole White and Jessica Nathan, before Bellach's run-scoring fielder's choice scored Jessica Smith, who doubled, with the final run in the sixth. 

Amy Szymanowski reached base in three of her four plate appearances in the second game and scored twice for CF. 

CF finished the season at 6-0 against SPC and will now turn its attention to the FCSAA Atlantic District Tournament which begins Friday in Pensacola. Up first for the Patriots is Eastern Florida State at 1 p.m. From there, CF will face either Seminole State or Indian River State regardless of the outcome that same day at 5 p.m.