BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Freshman Leah Clark and sophomore Emma Rogel are off to a strong start for the College of Central Florida softball team, having combined for 15 RBI and 19 hits in six games.
Rogel, a 2022 Keystone Heights High School graduate, leads the team in RBI with eight and is third on the team in hits with nine. Her batting average of .600 ranks fifth.
Clark, a 2023 Union County High School graduate, is second in RBI with seven and second in hits with 10. She’s hit a team-high four doubles and is fourth in batting average at .625.
The Patriots (4-2) opened the season with a 4-1 win over Parkland on Jan. 26. Rogel went 2 for 3 with three RBI and two doubles, while Clark went 2 for 2 with a double and a stolen base.
Rogel, who’s been in the lineup at catcher and as a designated player, had a multi-RBI game on Jan. 27 when the Patriots defeated USC Union 18-1. She went 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored. One of her hits was a triple.
Clark, who plays shortstop, scored two runs in the win over USC Union, with her lone hit being a triple.
It was another two-RBI game for Rogel, who went 2 for 3, in a 6-1 win over Florida State College at Jacksonville on Feb. 1.
The second game of the double-header against FSCJ was a big one for Clark, who drove in six runs in a 12-0 win. She went 4 for 4 with two doubles, a solo home run and a stolen base. Clark scored two runs.
Clark and Rogel will be back in action for the Ocala team in a home double-header against Heartland, with games scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
The College of Central Florida is located at 3001 S.W. College Road.
