Miami Dade Overpowers St. Petersburg in 8-4 Victory

Miami Dade brought the bats and the grit in an 8-4 win over St. Petersburg College, pulling away late to secure the win behind a well-rounded offensive effort and a strong outing from pitcher Amanda Handa.

Despite falling behind 2-0 in the first inning, Miami Dade responded with a three-run second that flipped the momentum. Caroline Mito drove in two with a clutch single to right, and Amanda Handa added a sacrifice fly to plate Carmela Smith, giving the Sharks a 3-2 lead.

St. Petersburg trimmed the lead to 5-3 in the fifth, but Miami Dade broke things open in the sixth. Gabriela Trinoski came through with the hit of the game, a three-run double that pushed the lead to 8-3 and effectively sealed the win.

Handa, doing double duty as pitcher and run producer, earned her first win of the season in the circle. She tossed seven innings, allowing six hits and no earned runs while striking out seven. She also added a hit, a walk, and an RBI at the plate.

Miami Dade's offense was led by Gabriela Luz, who reached base all four times with two hits and two walks, scoring twice. Trinoski notched three RBIs, and Ty Marie Cervantes chipped in with two hits, an RBI, and a run scored.

The Sharks out-hit St. Petersburg 11-8 and took full advantage of their opponent's three errors, which contributed to several unearned runs.