Offense Stalls as Raiders Drop Game One in Clearwater

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Despite a dominant effort in the circle from sophomore Cailyn Heyl, Northwest Florida State fell just short in its opening game of the FCSAA Championship, dropping a 1-0 extra-inning decision to No. 17 Eastern Florida State.

Heyl was exceptional throughout, tossing seven scoreless innings before Eastern Florida broke through with a go-ahead RBI single up the middle in the top of the eighth. The right-hander allowed just four hits and one run over eight innings, striking out eight and walking one in the hard-luck loss.

Offensively, the Raiders were held in check by Eastern Florida's ace Avery Velazquez, who went the distance in a three-hit shutout. Velazquez struck out 10 batters and walked just one in an impressive eight-inning performance.

Northwest Florida's offense managed base hits from Karson McGowan, Hailey Henry, and Lillie Piersol, but was unable to generate sustained pressure or push a run across. Eastern Florida's defense remained flawless, turning a key double play in the third, and committing no errors.

Eastern Florida's offense was paced by Aracelis Jimenez, who recorded two hits in four at-bats, including the decisive RBI single in the eighth. George had a strong defensive showing for the Titans with a team-high 12 chances.

The loss sends Northwest Florida into the elimination bracket, where the Raiders will aim to regroup in their next contest, scheduled for 9:00 a.m. (CDT) tomorrow against the loser of Game Two between No. 3 Indian River and No. 6 Chipola. While the opportunity to claim the program's first state championship has passed, a berth in the NJCAA World Series remains within reach—either through one of the tournament's two automatic bids or a potential at-large selection. To secure the second automatic qualifier for the national tournament, the Raiders will need to string together four consecutive victories.