CARROLLTON, GA â€" Christine Clark was just as impressive in her first start for Florida Southern as she was in her previous nine relief appearances. It just didn’t end with a win. Georgia College used two soft singles and a walk-off double by Stephanie Lezcano to defeat the Moccasins 2-1 in the first game of the Wolves Invitational.
Clark’s first career start came against senior All-American Mandy Chandler of Georgia College, but the freshman held her own in what turned out to be a pitching dominated game. Through the first five innings, the Moccasins (15-3) were held without a hit and the Bobcats (12-8) had only one before Jessica Solomon hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to put them up 1-0.
Peggy Alex broke up Chandler’s no-hitter in the top of the sixth when she singled through the left side of the infield with one out, and the Mocs turned it into a run. Lindsey Powell bunted her to second, and when shortstop Lindsey Swanson threw the ball away on a grounder by Angela Williams, Alex raced home to tie the score at one.
Still tied in the bottom of the seventh, the Bobcats got a leadoff single from Tonya Medders that fell just out of the reach of two Moccasins in short right center. Clark got the next two batters, but another softly hit ball by Allison Schwiner fell in for a single just inside the leftfield line, and just out of shortstop Sara Lovestrand’s lunging effort. Lezcano then hit one hard into the right centerfield gap that brought in pinch-runner Haley Holloway with the winning run.
Clark suffered her first loss after winning three games earlier this week in relief. She allowed seven hits, struck out five and walked no one.
Chandler, who came into the day averaging better than 12 strikeouts per game, improved to 11-4 with the win. She gave up only two hits (the single by Alex and a seventh-inning singled by Heather Raulerson), struck out 10 and walked one.
The Mocs missed a golden opportunity to put Chandler in a hole in the top of the fourth inning, even without a hit. Alex and Powell were both hit by pitches to start the inning, but Chandler got back-to-back strikeouts and a ground ball right back to the circle to keep the Mocs off the scoreboard.
