MELBOURNE, Fla. — The College of Coastal Georgia put together a strong performance Tuesday morning, rallying from an early three-run deficit to defeat Montreat College 10-4 at USSSA Space Coast Complex. A fast start, a pair of home runs, and a dominant five-inning relief performance from McKenzie Collins combined to give the Mariners another quality victory in Florida.

CCGA wasted no time setting the tone in the bottom of the first, erupting for five runs on four hits. Rylee Mills delivered the big blow with a two-run double to center field that gave the Mariners an early cushion, and Brooke Perdue, Emerson Askew, and Raeghan Harvey all contributed RBI to cap the five-run frame before Montreat could even settle in.

Montreat answered with three runs of their own in the second inning, highlighted by a Nevaeh Rivera triple and an Addison Staton RBI single to cut the lead to 5-3, and added a fourth run in the fourth on an unearned run to make it a 7-4 game. But Collins, who entered in the third inning in relief of Perdue, was dominant the rest of the way. The sophomore right-hander worked five innings, allowing just one unearned run on four hits while striking out two, and improved her record to 3-0 on the season with a performance that was every bit as impressive as the final line suggests.

The Mariners put the game away in the sixth inning with three runs that showcased the depth of this lineup. Mills singled home Kaitlyn Carolino to push the lead to 8-4, and then Rylie Smith, entering as a pinch hitter, crushed a two-run home run to center field that made it 10-4 and silenced any remaining doubt about the outcome. Askew had already added a solo home run in the third inning to keep the Mariners comfortably ahead, and her performance off the bench — finishing with a home run, a sacrifice fly, and two RBI — was one of the most productive contributions of the day.

Mills was the offensive star of the game, going 4-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI in a remarkable afternoon at the plate that demonstrated once again her value as a two-way player. Andrews finished 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while Carolino reached base three times and scored three runs from the leadoff spot despite not recording a hit. Harvey chipped in an RBI single and Smith delivered the game-sealing home run in what was a true team-wide offensive effort.