CLERMONT, Fla. --- The Golden Eagle softball team opened up their 10-game swing in the Sunshine State on Saturday, splitting their first doubleheader at THE Spring Games. Clarion defeated Bridgeport 5-1 before falling to 19^th-ranked Charleston in the nightcap.
 
Clarion 5, Bridgeport 1
 
Recap: The Golden Eagles got a strong pitching performance from Emma Hipps and played relatively clean defense behind her, propelling Clarion to their first win of the season. Hipps allowed just three hits – all singles – and only five total baserunners in the early game, and the sophomore pitcher struck out eight Knights while walking only one.
 
Hipps benefitted from a couple of fine defensive plays, with one of the best coming courtesy of third baseman Tori Martrano. With Clarion leading 5-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Martrano robbed Isabella Porcaro of a hit with a backhanded stab on her low line drive. Hipps followed up with a swinging strikeout of Meg McFarland, and two batters later she froze Grace Derita for strike three to end the game.
 
Offensively, the Golden Eagles were effective in manufacturing runs against starter Vise Zarate, including a pair each in the first and third innings. Martrano played a hand in that facet of the game as well, driving in Alexis Valencia and Emily Buchleitner in the top of the first inning with an opposite-field single to make it 2-0.
 
Buchleitner showed off good baserunning skills in the third inning to help increase the lead, starting off the inning with a single and advancing to third on an infield single after Desi Allen's liner was deflected in the pitching circle. A passed ball allowed Buchleitner to score from third to make it 3-0, and Haylie Rimmey dropped an RBI single into center field to score Allen before the end of the frame. Hannah Powierza added an insurance run in the fifth inning, scoring Rimmey on a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1.
 
Buchleitner went 3-for-4 with two runs, while Allen and Rimmey both finished with two hits.
 
#19 Charleston 9, Clarion 1 (5 inn.)
 
Recap: Charleston jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Clarion, taking advantage of an error in the top of the first inning to extend the frame. All three Charleston runs in the inning occurred with two outs, including a two-run home run from Bianca Polistina that gave them a 3-0 lead.
 
Clarion got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning, using some heads-up baserunning to cut into Charleston's lead. Buchleitner reached on a one-out walk, stole second base, and eventually reached third on a two-out passed ball. Rachel Helsley brought her home with a flare to center field as Clarion made it a 3-1 game.
 
Charleston scored twice more in the top of the second inning to increase the lead to 5-1, and a three-spot in the top of the fifth inning put them perilously close to an eight-run lead. Clarion did enjoy an exciting sequence in the top of the third. Alexis Valencia worked a 21-pitch at-bat to lead off the inning, fouling off pitch after pitch before finally drawing a base on balls. Charleston recovered with a big break of their own when Buchleitner hit a hard grounder directly at the shortstop, grounding into a 6-3 double play. Charleston' s Layla Jelenic retired the final seven batters of the game for the win.
 
Megan Anderson got the start and provided 4.0 innings, though only two of eight runs she allowed were counted as earned.
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