Five Homers Power Raiders Past Gulf Coast State Saturday

NICEVILLE, Fla. — A relentless offensive display led No. 4 Northwest Florida State to a decisive 12-1 victory over Gulf Coast State on Saturday afternoon, as the Raiders blasted five home runs—including grand slams from Karson McGowen and Falyn Beebe—to notch another Panhandle Conference win at home.

The Raiders wasted no time asserting control. In the bottom of the second inning, Karson McGowen stepped up with the bases loaded and crushed a grand slam over the left field fence to ignite the Raider offense and give Northwest Florida a 4-0 lead. McGowen's home run was her seventh of the season and her second grand slam of the year.

The Commodores briefly halted the shutout in the top of the third inning when Gulf Coast's Kali Austerman connected on a solo shot to straightaway center field. But Northwest Florida wasted no time in responding. Just three batters into the bottom half of the inning, Sister Arnold sent a solo blast over the center field wall—her 12th homer of the season—to push the Raiders' lead to 5-1. The Raiders continued to build on its lead in the bottom of the fourth, when Lulu Luedtke lined an RBI double into the right-center gap, driving in another run to make it 6-1.

The Raiders then erupted in the fifth with their biggest inning of the day. Hailey Henry and Julie Stevens went back-to-back with solo home runs—each traveling well beyond the left field fence—to start the frame. After a pair of walks and a single loaded the bases, Falyn Beebe stepped to the plate and delivered a towering grand slam to center field, putting the game completely out of reach at 12-1. It marked Beebe's eighth home run of the season and second career grand slam.

In the circle, Cailyn Heyl continued her dominance, turning in another stellar outing. The sophomore right-hander tossed five complete innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out seven and walking one. Heyl improved to 26-1 on the year and lowered her ERA to 0.89, which ranks second among all NJCAA Division I pitchers nationwide.

Offensively, the Raiders racked up eight hits on the day and displayed patience at the plate with seven walks. Lulu Luedtke led the team with a 2-for-4 effort that included an RBI and a run scored. Both Sister Arnold and Bre Hughes drew two walks apiece, and Beebe tallied four RBIs in her lone hit of the game.

Defensively, the Raiders were just as sharp, turning a smooth double play in the fourth inning to erase a potential Gulf Coast rally.

For the Commodores, Austerman accounted for the lone run with her third-inning home run and finished 1-for-2. Cailyn Cooke and Macy Robinette each added singles for Gulf Coast, which was held to just three hits total.

With the win, Northwest Florida State improves to 41-7 overall and continues its run atop the Panhandle Conference standings. The Raiders will now turn their focus to the final week of the regular season, starting with a midweek road trip to Pensacola State on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. They'll return home Saturday to wrap up the regular season against Chipola at 4:00 p.m. before heading to Clearwater for the FCSAA State Tournament.