BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Lynn University softball team battled through a competitive Saturday doubleheader against St. Thomas (Fla.), dropping a dramatic 8-7 extra-inning decision in game 1 before falling 9-3 in the nightcap at Lynn Softball Field.

The afternoon was highlighted by junior Teagan Riley's solo home run in the opener, marking her first home run of the season and sparking an early surge for the Fighting Knights.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game #1):  
- Lynn jumped out early in the bottom of the first as Kyleigh Hope walked and later scored on a caught-stealing sequence 
- Later in the inning, Riley crushed a solo home run for the first Lynn homer of the season, giving the Fighting Knights a 2-0 lead 
- St. Thomas answered in the third, stringing together three hits to plate a run and trim the margin to 2-1 
- The Blue and White threatened in the third, putting runners aboard, but the Bobcats worked out of trouble to keep it a one-run game 
- Lynn added breathing room in the fifth as Onnalee Floriano delivered a clutch two-run double to left-center, pushing the lead to 4-1 
- The Bobcats rallied in the seventh, using a three-run homer and defensive miscues to surge in front, 5-4 
- Lynn responded immediately in the bottom of the seventh, as Hope doubled and later scored on a passed ball to force extra innings 
- The Bobcats regained control in the eighth with a three-run double, building an 8-5 advantage 
- Lynn battled back in the home half of the eighth, scoring twice with the help of walks, aggressive baserunning, and errors, but the comeback fell short as St. Thomas held on for the win in the opener of the doubleheader, 8-7

FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS (Game #1): 
- Hope paced the Lynn offense, going 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and a walk, reaching base three times and scoring in both the first and seventh innings 
- Riley delivered the big swing early, finishing 1-for-4 with a first-inning home run and an RBI to give the Fighting Knights an immediate 2-0 lead 
- This marks Riley's first home run in 2026 and 11th as a Fightin Knight 
- Floriano turned in a 1-for-2 performance with a double and two RBI, driving in both runs during Lynn's two-run fifth inning rally 
- Isabella Rittle scored a run and drew a walk, coming around during the fifth-inning surge to keep the momentum rolling 
- In the circle, Gabriella Lindsey worked 6.0 innings, allowing four runs on four hits while striking out one and keeping Lynn in control through six 
- Ariana Rego went 2.0 innings in relief, striking out one while navigating a high-leverage seventh and eighth 
- Lynn totaled four hits, drew seven walks, and produced three extra-base hits, erasing deficits twice and bringing the tying run into scoring position in the eighth inning

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game #2): 
- Lynn struck first in the bottom of the first as Quinn Lockhart reached on an error, stole second and third, and scored on Floriano's sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead 
- Moments later, Marina Goins laced an RBI double to left-center to score Savannah Ellis and extend the advantage to 2-0 
- St. Thomas responded in the second, using a two-run double to even the score at 2-2 
- The Fighting Knights regained the lead in the third as Floriano walked and later came home on Goins' sacrifice fly, making it 3-2 
- The Bobcats turned the tide in the fifth, capitalizing on a hit-by-pitch, walks, defensive miscues, and timely extra-base hits to plate six runs and seize an 8-3 lead 
- St. Thomas added an insurance run in the sixth following a Lynn error to stretch the margin to 9-3 
- Lynn put a runner aboard in the sixth and seventh but could not generate a late rally as the Bobcats secured the sweep 
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS (Game #2): 
- Goins led the offense, finishing 2-for-2 with two doubles and two RBI, accounting for two of Lynn's four hits 
- Floriano drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and added a walk, scoring once in the third inning 
- Ellis went 1-for-1 with a walk and scored a run in the first inning 
- Lockhart scored once and swiped two bases, applying early pressure on the basepaths 
- Cara Willis added a single, while Lynn drew three walks and recorded three stolen bases 
- In the circle, Ellis tossed 4.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits 
- Rego faced a bases-loaded situation in the fifth, while Kayley Zazzali provided 2.2 innings of relief, allowing one unearned run and helping stabilize the final frames 
- Lynn finished with four hits, three RBI, and three stolen bases in game

UP NEXT: 
- The Fighting Knights will open SSC play at Tampa in a weekend series beginning on Friday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m.