Lady Indians travel to Gulf Coast to start final round of conference play
Chipola has defeated Gulf Coast 3 of 4 times this season
MARIANNA, Fla. – With single games against each of their conference opponents remaining on the 2025 regular season schedule, the #21 Chipola Softball team (28-16; 9-7) is poised to make a return to the FCSAA/Region VIII Tournament for the first time since 2022. The top two teams in the conference receive automatic berths into the tournament with the third-place team participating in a play-in game against the sixth-place team from the Citrus Conference.
The Lady Indians still have work to do but they can stake a claim to second-place tonight with a win at Gulf Coast and then on Saturday at home against Pensacola they can punch their ticket to Clearwater, site of the FCSAA/Region VIII Tournament on May 6-10.
Game Information for this week
Wednesday (4/16/25) Chipola @ Gulf Coast 6 PM CDT (7) Streaming Stats (GameChanger)
Saturday (4/19/25) Chipola vs. Pensacola 1 PM CDT (7) Streaming Stats (GameChanger)
Where we stand
With a 9-7 conference record, the Lady Indians are two games ahead of Gulf Coast (7-9) and three games ahead of Pensacola (6-10) in the Panhandle standings. Having already won three of four meetings with Gulf Coast, the Lady Indians hold the tie-breaker over the Lady Commodores. Chipola and the Pirates have split their previous four meetings.
With a win tonight, Chipola would eliminate Gulf Coast from reaching second place and receiving an automatic tournament bid. At that point, Chipola would only need to win one of their remaining three games to clinch the second spot. Pensacola, who does not play tonight, would need to win their four remaining games.
Lady Indians vs. Lady Commodores in 2025
On March 12, the Lady Indians opened Panhandle Conference play by going on the road and sweeping Gulf Coast, 15-3 and 2-0.
In game one, Chipola trailed 3-2 entering the sixth inning but that deficit was quickly erased. The Lady Indians erupted for six runs on four hits in the sixth inning then added seven more runs on five hits in the seventh inning. Hannah Worthington pitched all seven innings for the win.
Game two was a pitcher's duel with Chipola's Anyela Gomez-Ruiz coming out on top. Gomez-Ruiz struck out 7 to shut out the Lady Commodores, 2-0. Irene Rabasco broke up a scoreless game in the top of the sixth inning with a solo home run. Chipola manufactured an insurance run in the seventh after Paris Rodgers led off with a single. Rodgers was replaced on the base paths by Kamryn Eaton who moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gabrie Flowers. After a wild pitch moved Eaton to third, she scored on a sacrifice fly by Hannah Capps.
The Lady Commodores came to Marianna on March 29 seeking revenge and in game one, they found it. Gulf Coast scored four runs in the second inning to chase Chipola starter, Gomez-Ruiz, from the game. Chipola answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second on Diana Arcay's two-out single. The Lady Commodores took advantage of several Chipola mistakes to add three more runs in the fifth. Chipola answered in the bottom of the inning with a run but could not get closer as they fell, 7-3, to the Lady Commodores.
The fourth meeting would need an extra inning to determine a winner. Chipola scored single runs in the first and fourth innings to hold a 2-0 lead going into the seventh inning. Gulf Coast put the first three on and scored them on a sac fly, double, and a single to take a 3-2 lead. Down to their last three outs, Rani Meaux walked with one out and Olivia Spooner pinch ran for her. With two outs, Kayla Franklin walked to put the tying on second and winning run at first. Irene Rabasco followed with a single up the middle to score Spooner and tie the game. Gulf Coast loaded the bases in the top of the eighth with one out but Gomez-Ruiz, who replaced starter Lauren Grantham in the seventh, struck out the next batter then got a ground ball to end the threat. Three straight walks to start the bottom of the eighth brought Addison Carter to the plate with 0 outs. Carter singled to left field to score Hannah Capps for the 4-3 win.