CLEARWATER, Fla. - The LIU Brooklyn softball team dropped a 7-6 decision against Maine, before falling to Georgia Tech, 4-0, on the second day of the USF Spring Break Invitational on Saturday.

The Blackbirds took a 6-5 lead into the seventh inning against the Black Bears, but a two-run walk-off home run with one out in the frame handed LIU the tough defeat. In the second game of the day, a pair of two-run innings and solid pitching from Jenna Goodrich helped the Yellow Jackets shutout the Blackbirds.

Maine Recap
LIU Brooklyn took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first, as senior Ariana Lopez roped a double off the wall in left field with one out. A hit by pitch and a single from junior Kylie Mulholland loaded the bases for senior Celinna Cosio, who lofted a fly ball into centerfield that scored Lopez to put the Blackbirds on the board.

The early lead was quickly erased by Maine, as Alyssa Derrick drilled a three-run home run over the left-field fence to put the score at 3-1. The score remained the same until the third, when LIU regained control with a five-run rally.

Lopez again started the scoring sequence as she lined a single up the middle with one out. Sophomore Victoria Zamora was hit by another pitch to put two on for Mulholland, who ripped an RBI single to left to pull the Blackbirds to within a run at 3-2.

Cosio followed with a run-scoring single of her own to tie the game and force a pitching change. After the switch was made, freshman Samantha Offenback lined a shot right at the left fielder that was caught for the second out. Classmate Evie Claussell picked her teammate up, however, with a line-drive double down the left-field line that plated two and regained a 5-3 advantage.

Junior Kayla Gloady continued the hot hitting by LIU Brooklyn, lining a single to centerfield that scored Claussell and bumped the cushion to 6-3, before Maine got out of the inning a batter later.

The Black Bears got a run back in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly, and threatened in the fourth as back-to-back singles opened the frame. Freshman Tallie Woodson, who entered in relief to start the inning, was able to wiggle out of trouble with three straight ground ball outs.

In the sixth, LIU had an opportunity to extend its two-run lead by placing a pair of runners in scoring position with just one out. Maine made another pitching change and Molly Flowers recorded a strikeout and a flyout to extinguish the threat.

The pair of runners left on would come back to haunt the Blackbirds, as the Black Bears scored a run in the sixth to pull to within one and, after an error allowed a runner to reach in the seventh, a two-run home run from Felicia Lennon ended the game in walk-off fashion.

Georgia Tech Recap
The Blackbirds had a prime chance to take an early lead, as senior Whitney West led off with a single and Lopez followed suit with a base hit of her own. Two batters later, Cosio singled up the middle but Georgia Tech centerfielder Samantha Pierannunzi fired a perfect throw to the plate to nab West.

In the top of the third, the Yellow Jackets had an opportunity to take the lead as three singles loaded the bases with just one out. Woodson, who started the second game of the day, induced an infield fly to Gloady at short then got the next batter to groundout to close the inning.

Georgia Tech broke the scoreless deadlock in the fourth, as a bloop single with the bases loaded plated a pair and put the score at 2-0. The Blackbirds made an attempt to come right back in the bottom half of the inning, but a pair of runners were left stranded.

Two more runs in the top of the sixth came on a pair of groundouts for Georgia Tech and extended the margin to 4-0. LIU Brooklyn managed just one hit the rest of the way, as Jenna Goodrich picked up her fourth win of the year.

LIU Brooklyn concludes play at the USF Spring Break Invitational on Sunday, March 20 against Kent State at 9:00 a.m.