ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – With a tied score headed into the bottom of the seventh, the Flagler Saints drilled a deep home run over left field to deliver the game-winning run for the 2-1 win over the UNCP softball team in Peach Belt Conference action on Saturday in the first game of the twinbill.

The Lady Braves (19-27, 5-12 PBC) received one hit each from junior Taylor Cloninger and sophomore Brea Hartley as Cloninger scored UNCP's only run of the game. Flagler (26-13, 7-8) logged four hits as Melanie Oliver notched two hits and one RBI, while Christen Moon and Lauren Roudabush each added one hit.

Senior Starr Gilley faced 15 batters in her four innings of work in the middle for UNCP, while junior Natalie Klemann (6-9) suffered the loss as she gave up the final earned run after going the final two innings. Gilley and Klemann each gave up one earned run and struck out two, while Gilley faced four or less batters in 3-of-4 innings.

Kalyn Loverich (12-6) collected the win for Flagler as she struck out six batters in her seven innings in the circle. Loverich faced only three batters per inning until the seventh, and struck out all three batters in the first. 

Flagler opened the second inning with an early run as Malloree Escue reached first on a base on balls and scored on Oliver's double to left center field on the very next play.

The seventh inning began with Cloninger doubling along the left field line and scoring on an error by the second baseman to tie the game at one run apiece. Senior Holly Berry attempted to move sophomore Kaytee Wilson to second with a sacrifice bunt, and despite Hartley's single to the shortstop that drove Wilson to third, a final fielder's choice by junior Shelby Holland allowed the Saints to tag Wilson out and end the top of the inning. 

The Saints used the first at-bat in the final half inning to end the game after Moon's walk-off homer for the victory.