CLEARWATER, Fla. - In what turned out to be a two and a half hour slugfest between the two best teams in the Sun Conference, the Coastal Georgia softball team dropped their second game of the tournament to the St. Thomas Bobcats by a 2-1 final. 

The Mariners (36-11) played one of their best games of the season, with one or two plays bouncing the other way allowing the Bobcats (37-10) to take the close pitchers duel. 

The Mariners started the game off red hot at the plate and jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the bottom of the first. Bryce Peacock got the Bobcats in order in the top half, and she helped herself in the bottom half to get the lead. 

Sarah Thinger started the game with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Rori Rhodes. Peacock then followed with a triple into the right center gap to score Thinger and give the Mariners a 1-0 lead. 

Anna Toon got things started with a walk in the top of the second for the Bobcats and moved to second on a wild pitch, but Peacock once again got out of it and moved the game to the bottom of the second. 

Neither side got another base runner until the bottom of the third when Rhodes singled with two outs and stole second, but was stranded after a strikeout ended the inning. 

In the top of the fourth, the Bobcats knotted the game up at one a piece. Palacios started the inning with a one out single, stole second, and came around to score on a double from Toon to tie the game at one a piece. In the bottom half, the Mariners once again were sat down in order to send the game to the fifth with a tie game. 

Alyssa Haggerty got the lone hit of the fifth inning for either side, a double, as the game went into the sixth still tied. 

Achenbach started the sixth inning with a single, moved to second on a sac bunt, and moved to third on a fielder's choice back to the pitcher. With runners on the corners and one out, head coach Mike Minick made the move to Elizabeth McGovern to try and get out of another inning. McGovern produced a fly ball to Toon, and Rhodes made a great diving play in foul territory to make an out, but Achenbach tagged up and scored the go ahead run in the process. Two batters later, the Mariners were called for obstruction on a play at third base to load the bags once again for the Bobcats, but McGovern got a groundout to end the inning. In the bottom half, the Mariners were held off the scoreboard once again, and the game went to the seventh with the Bobcats leading 2-1. 

In the seventh, both sides went in order as the Bobcats secured the 2-1 win and a spot in the championship game tomorrow afternoon. 

The Mariners got just four hits off of the 2024 SUN Pitcher of the Year Toon, as she threw a complete game with no walks and striking out eight, allowing just two base runners after the first inning. Peacock went 5.1 innings allowing three hits, two runs, one walk, and five strikeouts. 

The Mariners will now prepare to face the winner of Florida Memorial and Southeastern at approximately 7 p.m. from the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater.