BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Before a pitch was thrown Saturday morning, the College of Coastal Georgia softball team paused to honor one of their own. In a moving pregame ceremony, the Mariners retired the No. 11 jersey of Kennedy Waymer, a teammate from Jacksonville, Florida who lost her battle with cancer in October. Waymer's family was invited onto the field to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and the team took the field wearing pink in support of cancer awareness. What followed was a performance that served as a fitting tribute — an 11-0 mercy-rule victory over Florida Memorial in five innings that sent a clear message about what this team is playing for.
The number 11 felt significant all morning. The Mariners scored exactly 11 runs, and every player on the roster carried Waymer's memory with them from the first pitch to the last out. It was the kind of day where the final score almost felt secondary to the emotion and unity on display, but the Mariners made sure to back their tribute with a complete, dominant performance on both sides of the ball.
Five pitchers combined to shut out Florida Memorial on just one hit, with McKenzie Collins, Rylee Mills, Brooke Perdue, Emilia Clemons, and Kate Owens each working a scoreless inning. The Lions were helpless at the plate all morning, managing just a single hit across five innings while the CCGA pitching staff struck out five and kept Florida Memorial off balance from start to finish.
Offensively, the Mariners were at their relentless best. Emma Jones set the tone early and never let up, finishing 3-for-3 with a double, a triple, an RBI, and three runs scored in one of the more impressive individual performances of the season. Mills went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI, and Kaitlyn Carolino added two hits, an RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base from the leadoff spot. Brooke Perdue provided the emotional highlight of the game in the third inning, launching a solo home run that brought the crowd to its feet and seemed to carry the weight of the moment with it.
The third inning was the defining frame of the game, with eight runs crossing the plate on eight hits in one of the most explosive innings CCGA has put together all season. Julianna Batts, Carolino, and Avery Callaway all delivered clutch RBI hits during the barrage, and Mills capped the rally with a two-run double that pushed the lead to 11-0 and triggered the mercy rule one inning later.
Every player on the roster contributed in some way on a morning that was about far more than softball. The Mariners dedicated the game to Kennedy Waymer, wore her number on their hearts, and played with the kind of passion and purpose that she would have been proud of. No. 11 will never be worn again at Coastal Georgia — but the spirit behind it was everywhere on the field Saturday morning.
