BOCA RATON, Fla. -- The LIU Brooklyn softball team won their eighth straight game, outlasting Florida A&M, 8-7 in the team's opening game in Boca Raton at  the FAU/FIU Parents' Weekend Tournament. Then, as the day turned into dusk, the Blackbirds (11-7) finally fell 6-5 in eight innings at the hands of East Carolina, losing for the the first time in almost three weeks.

LIU 8, FLORIDA A&M 7
The Blackbirds stormed out to a seven-run lead through two innings against the Rattlers in their home state, and held on to win, 8-7, to extend the team's win streak. In the first inning, sophomore Alina Castillo drilled a double with two runners on, to score Samantha Garcia and Kiana Cisneros for a 2-0 score.

Next, in the second inning with the bases loaded, senior Schae Dickson came through, hitting a two run double to make the score 4-0. Then after a pitching change by FAMU, Garcia slugged her team leading third home run of the season, a three-run bomb to center to score Dickson and junior Patricia Griffin for a 7-0 lead.

Dickson added a much needed eighth run for the Blackbirds with a solo homer, her second of the season in the top of the fourth frame.

Meanwhile on the mound, freshman Elena Valenzuela (6-1) was in command, going the first five innings, only yielding a single run in the fifth inning on a single and a subsequent double by FAMU's Kyaira Brown, for an 8-1 score, as the game was one out away from ending on the eight-run rule, before the Rattlers got on the scoreboard.

In the sixth frame, LIU junior Tallie Woodson, who only played a fraction of the year in 2018 before being injured, made her official return to the circle for the Blackbirds. After giving up a hit to her first batter, Woodson got through her first inning successfully. She wasn't as fortunate in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving up three runs and loading the bases, before Valenzuela re-entered the game with two outs.

Valenzuela gave up two hits in the seventh, but secured the win for the Blackbirds (11-6). Tyra Bowers had three of FAMU's 14 hits in the game, as Brown, Brandice Boatwright and Seriah Brokenborough each had two runs batted in for the Rattlers (5-15). Boatwright, the starter on the rubber for the Rattlers took the loss to fall to 1-2 on the season.


LIU 5, EAST CAROLINA 3
The Blackbirds spotted East Carolina a run in the top of the first inning on a Tate McClellan double for an early deficit. The game stayed at 1-0 for the next three innings, before LIU tied it up in the top of the fifth frame on a Kiana Cisneros single through the middle.

LIU took a brief lead in the next inning when right fielder Patricia Griffin singled home Angelina Reno for a 2-1 score. But in the bottom of the frame, LIU starter Victoria Lowe, who had only yielded two hits through the first five inning, gave up back-to-back solo home runs to Rachel McCollum and McClellan, to put the Pirates back on top, 3-2.

In the top of the seventh, with their win streak on the line, the Blackbirds showed their resiliency once again. With two strikes and two outs and sophomore Alina Castillo stole second to put the tying run in scoring position when her classmate Ryleigh Bermea worked the count to her favor and rocketed a double to left field to bring Castillo home.With the game tied at 3-3, extra innings were next.

Reno was placed on second base to start the eighth inning for the Blackbirds, as per the International Tie Breaker. She advanced to third on a Katie Hinkle ground out to the second baseman. Freshman Camryn Lyman followed with a huge single right up the middle to score Reno for a 4-3 lead. Three batters and one out later, LIU had runners on first and second with freshman Samantha Garcia up, as she slapped a single up the middle to score Griffin for a 5-3 lead, before the the third out of the frame.

Then with game one winner Elena Valenzuela in the circle for LIU and a runner on second, a fielder's choice and an infield error led to the first run in extras for ECU. Still with two runners on, Valenzuela got a ground out to third base, as the runners both advanced to scoring position, when Ashleigh Inae smacked a double down the left field line for the game winning hit.

Valenzuela (6-2) took the loss for LIU, only her second of the year with two earned runs in 1.1 innings, following junior Haley Irvis, who got three outs in a row in the 6th inning, after taking over for Lowe.

ECU's Erin Poepping (9-3) gutted out the win on the mound, going all eight innings, giving up only three earned runs. McClellan and Inae each had two runs batted in for the Pirates (12-6).

BLACKBIRDS' FAU/FIU PARENT'S WEEKEND SLATE
In their only game on Saturday, LIU will face Illinois State at the early time of 9:00 a.m. Then for the final day on Sunday, March 10th, the Blackbirds will head to FlU in Miami to play Yale (12:00 p.m.) and the host Panthers (2:15 p.m.) to finish up the team's East coast schedule.