Box Scores (Game 1 | Game 2)

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Freshman sensation Ally Marcano picked up two wins in 10.2 innings of scoreless work to key Peach Belt Conference (PBC) foe Flagler to a sweep of the UNC Pembroke softball team Sunday afternoon at Flagler Field. The hosts clung to a 1-0 victory in the opener before outlasting the Black & Gold 3-2 in 12 innings in game two.

The setbacks run the current Braves' (17-22, 2-14 PBC) losing skid to 18 straight, which is the longest losing streak in program history. The Saints (26-17, 9-5 PBC) improve to 10-6 all-time against UNCP and have now won four straight overall to jump into fifth place in the league race.

Flagler picked up its lone run in the first inning of game one with an infield single and rode Marcano the rest of the way in the 1-0 triumph. The Braves had just two hits, one each in the first and second, and went down eight times on strikes.

Jamie Johnson and Toni Nelson were each 1-for-3, while Abbey Walters (9-8) was saddled with the loss in the circle despite allowing just the one run. The senior has now allowed one earned run or less in four of her last six starts, but all have led to losses due to just three runs of support from the offense.

Game two's 12-inning affair is the longest game inning-wise since the Braves went to 12 frames in 2011. UNCP has never played into the 13th inning in the 28-year history of the program.

The Saints struck first with a pair of runs in the fourth and looked to be on their way to another shutout win, but the Black & Gold bats woke up in the sixth. After just three total hits in the first five innings, the Braves went for three hits in the sixth along to scratch across two runs and knot the game at 2-2.

Rendi Wetherington, Johnson and Taylor Gerhart each picked up a single to push Wetherington home and Johnson shuffled home on a Flagler error.

After five scoreless frames from each side, the Saints pushed across an unearned run in the latter half of the 12th on a pair of singles and a UNCP miscue to end the three hour and five minute marathon affair.

Each side banged out 10 hits and a total of 18 runners were left on base. Johnson and Walters each had a trio of hits to lead the Braves, who failed to score with a runner on second and no outs in the eighth and again in the ninth with runners on the corners and one down. UNCP had at least one runner on base in four of the five extra frames.

Freshman Malerie Leviner (5-11) tossed a complete game for the guests by going a season-high 11.1 innings and 164 pitches. She fanned six Saints and allowed just two earned runs.

The Black & Gold will take a break from PBC play to take on Fayetteville State Wednesday in a mid-week twinbill. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Lamon Street Park. The Braves have won 20 of the all-time 24 meetings between the I-95 rivals, including five straight and nine of 11 in Fayetteville.