Chipola Softball powers past #5 College of Central Florida

Kinzie Nelson belts one of four Lady Indians' home runs in their 9-5 opening round win over College of Central Florida in the FCSAA State Tournament. | Photo courtesy of Simone Amaduzzi/ProSports Visuals
Kinzie Nelson belts one of four Lady Indians' home runs in their 9-5 opening round win over College of Central Florida in the FCSAA State Tournament. | Photo courtesy of Simone Amaduzzi/ProSports Visuals

Chipola Softball picked up its sixth consecutive win and ended College of Central Florida's eleven-game winning streak on day one of the FCSAA State Tournament. The Lady Indians' 9-5 win moved them to the second round of the winner's bracket where they will take on the FCSAA & NJCAA #1 ranked team, Florida SouthWestern.

The Lady Indians got on the board in the top of the second inning with two outs when Natalie Kopicova hit the first of her two home runs on the day. The Lady Patriots came back in the bottom half of the inning to tie the score.

In the third, Marley Sims led off the inning with a single and scored on the Lady Indians second home run of the game. Madisyn Riggins hit her fourth home run of the season over the left field fence to give the Lady Indians a 3-1 lead.

Chipola would increase their lead in the fourth when Natalie Kopicova hit her second home run of the day, a two-run shot to dead center that scored Alexis Cosgrove. The Lady Indians would go on to score two more in the inning on Ava Worthy's single up the middle that scored Marley Sims and Sierra Jevyak to give Chipola a commanding 7-1 lead.

After the Lady Patriots added a run in the bottom of the sixth, Chipola would add two more in the seventh inning on their fourth home run of the day. This time it was Kinzie Nelson's two-run home blast down the left line that scored Ava Worthy, who reached on a lead off single.

The Lady Indians would hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh but Chipola pitcher Zayla McBurrows got the next hitter to fly out to preserve the 9-5 win.

McBurrows got the complete game win scattering eight hits and striking out five. McBurrows upped her record to 11-5 on the season.

The Lady Indians will take on Florida SouthWestern, 19-5 winners over Miami Dade College, at 3 PM central on Saturday.