Raiders Walk Off Eastern Florida in Extras, Punch Ticket to World Series

CLEARWATER, Fla. — For the fourth consecutive season, Northwest Florida softball is headed back to the NJCAA World Series. The Raiders secured their spot in dramatic fashion Saturday, defeating No. 11 Eastern Florida 1-0 in eight innings to claim the FCSAA/South Atlantic District B Championship.

In a game dominated by pitching, both teams leaned on their aces and delivered exactly the kind of performances expected on a championship stage. Savannah Carter got the start for Northwest Florida, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings while striking out seven. Marlee Parsons followed with 3.0 shutout frames of her own before Mallory Baker entered in extras and slammed the door, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the top of the eighth to keep the game scoreless.

Eastern Florida's Avery Velasquez was equally dominant, blanking the Raiders through seven innings before Northwest Florida finally broke through in the eighth. With Julie Stevens standing on third, Nyla Tretau delivered the game's biggest swing, lining a walk-off single to center field to score the winning run and send the Raiders back to Oxford.

Offense was hard to come by throughout the afternoon, as Northwest Florida totaled five hits while stranding five runners. Eastern Florida managed to put more traffic on the bases but left 13 runners stranded in the loss.

The victory secures one of two automatic bids to the national tournament for Northwest Florida, while Florida SouthWestern claimed the region's other berth.

Following the tournament, three Raiders earned FCSAA All-Tournament Team honors: Karson McGowan, Jaci Gary, and Julie Stevens. McGowan led the way offensively, hitting .714 with 10 hits and eight RBIs during the week. Gary added six hits and a .462 average, while Stevens finished 6-for-11 (.545) with three RBIs.

Northwest Florida will now await its seeding and first-round matchup for the NJCAA World Series, which will be announced during the NJCAA Selection Show on Tuesday, May 19, at 5:30 p.m. on the NJCAA Digital Network.