CLERMONT, Fla.  – The Edinboro softball team capped off a comeback victory over Fairmont State with a walk-off winner in the second contest of the day to split a pair of games on Tuesday in Clermont, Fla. With the split, the Fighting Scots improved to 6-1 overall.
 
Edinboro opened the day with a 5-2 loss to Saint Thomas Aquinas before the victory over Fairmont State.
 
The Fighting Scots are back in action tomorrow morning for a doubleheader with Dominican. First pitch is scheduled for 8 a.m. with the second contest scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
 
Game One – Saint Thomas Aquinas 5, Edinboro 2
Like the temperature in the morning, the Fighting Scots started out cold in the opening contest as they dropped their first game of the season to Saint Thomas Aquinas.
 
A few early errors proved costly as Saint Thomas Aquinas was able to score three runs in the third inning and two in the fourth, just one earned.
 
The Fighting Scots broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning on a Brooke Callaghan solo shot ripped into right field to cut the lead to 5-1. Edinboro added a final run to make it 5-2 on an Olivia Jankowski RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, but couldn't cut it any closer.
 
Kerri Stevens (0-1) received the loss for Edinboro, pitching 3.2 innings with six hits, five runs, two walks and a trio of strikeouts.
 
Colleen Borum (2-2) picked up the complete game victory for Saint Thomas Aquinas, giving up seven hits, walking one and striking out one.
 
Game Two – Edinboro 7, Fairmont State 6 (EIGHT INNINGS)
As the temperature warmed up, so did the Fighting Scots as their offense got back on track to the tune of seven runs and ten hits.
 
In a matchup of old friends and new rivals, head coach Dan Gierlak took on longtime friend and former Edinboro assistant coach, John Light. Light is now in charge of Fairmont State after taking the position in the fall.
 
The Fighting Falcons of Fairmont struck first in the contest, bringing across two runs in the opening in. Not to be outdone, the Fighting Scots scored two runs of their own on back-to-back RBI doubles by Callaghan and Jankowski to knot it up at 2-2.
 
Fairmont State picked up another run in the second and a pair in the third to take a 5-2 lead, but Edinboro began to chip away at the deficit. Danna Heh brought one run in in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI triple to make it 5-3 and the Fighting Scots took advantage of a Fairmont State error in the very next inning to make it 5-4.
 
Fairmont State added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning to make it 6-4, but true to their name, the Fighting Scots continued to battle. Callaghan made it a one-run game again with an RBI triple and Heather Tighe rewarded Callaghan with an RBI single to tie the game up at 6-6 and send the contest to extra innings.
 
The Fighting Scots were able to shut the Fighting Falcons out in the top of the eighth as Carley Nasca (2-0) pitched a strong six innings in relief. 
 
Placed on second to begin the bottom of the eighth, Lauren Gierlak advanced to third on a wild pitch before crossing the plate for the winning run on a Brittany Allen dropped pop up to complete the comeback.
 
Nasca recorded five strikeouts, allowing five hits, two runs and walking a pair.
 
Hannah Absalom (1-3) took the loss for Fairmont State.

TYING & WINNING RUNS