Coastal Georgia came out swinging Friday morning and had enough in the tank to hold off a St. Thomas comeback attempt, defeating the Bobcats 8-4 to take the series lead and improve to 31-5 on the season. Rily Andrews was the offensive star of the afternoon, homering twice, while McKenzie Collins was outstanding in relief to preserve the victory.
The Mariners wasted no time setting the tone. In the top of the first, Kaitlyn Carolino singled and stole second before advancing on a wild pitch. Rylee Mills followed with an RBI double to score Carolino, and Andrews then launched a two-run home run to left field to give Coastal Georgia a 3-0 lead before St. Thomas came to bat. The Mariners added two more in the second on a two-run single by Emma Jones, who knocked home both Carolino and Collins to stretch the advantage to 5-0.
St. Thomas refused to go quietly, chipping away with a run in the second and then a two-run home run by Christina Ortiz in the third to pull within 5-3. The Bobcats added another in the fifth to make it a one-run game at 5-4, keeping the pressure on the Mariner pitching staff.
Coastal Georgia responded with two critical insurance runs in the sixth. Emerson Askew was hit by a pitch and Emilia Clemons followed with a bunt single, setting the table for Ella Romano, who singled to load the bases. Jones then reached on a throwing error by the pitcher that allowed two runs to score and push the lead back to 7-4. Andrews put the finishing touch on the game in the seventh, launching her second home run of the day to make it 8-4 and effectively close the door on any St. Thomas rally.
Clemons started in the circle and worked 2.2 innings before giving way to Collins, who was superb the rest of the way. Collins tossed 4.1 innings of shutout ball, allowing just two hits while striking out two and keeping the Bobcat offense completely at bay after the early struggles.
Andrews finished the game 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI, giving her a dominant individual performance on both days of the series. Mills went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI, Jones contributed 1-for-4 with two RBI, and Collins reached base twice and scored twice while also delivering the strong pitching performance in relief.
The Mariners now lead the series heading into Game 3
