LAKELAND â€" If there’s been a common theme through Florida Southern’s first four games of the season, it’s that any batter, anywhere in the lineup is capable of picking up the big hit any time it’s needed â€" or maybe a few walks too. Either way, Florida Southern got plenty of both on Saturday, and Ashley Hunt made sure all the Moccasins went home happy at the end of day. With Elli Howell driving in two runs in each game, and Hunt picking up two clutch hits late in game two, Florida Southern defeated Webber International, 5-3 and 6-5.
Neither the Moccasins (4-0) nor Warriors (2-3) had problems getting runners on base as the two teams combined for 29 hits, 21 walks and four hit batters in the doubleheader. Not once in either game were the Mocs retired in order, and the Warriors did that only three times. Howell had four of Florida Southern’s 16 hits, Peggy Alex and Lindsey Powell each had three hits and three walks, and freshmen Erin Foley and Dezirae Parsons were in the middle of it all as well. For that matter, so was Karlyn Scott, though not a rookie, still a first-year starter.
Meanwhile, Webber got four hits, including two doubles and a home run, from Shauna Ward, whose three-run homer in game two gave the Warriors a short-lived 5-3 lead before Hunt helped erase it.
The Moccasins had to hold off the Warriors late in game one to complete a 5-3 win, and started off game two with a 3-0 lead after four innings. Most of that came courtesy of Howell, who delivered an RBI triple in the third and then scored on a base hit by Parsons. One inning later, after consecutive two-out singles by Alex and Powell, the senior first baseman drove in another run with an RBI single that gave the Mocs their 3-0 lead.
Held without a hit through the first four innings by Brittaney Alderman, the Warriors erupted for five runs in the top of the fifth, two of them coming on RBI singles by Krystan Mahowald and Joy Fuller, and the final three coming on Ward’s blast over the leftfield fence. Those were the only three hits Alderman allowed in the game, but the freshman walked six, including two in the Warriors’ five-run fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, Webber’s Kristen Stewart got two quick ground outs, but Hunt kept the inning alive with a single into center. Scott followed with a four-pitch walk, and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Foley then doubled over the third base bag to tie the game at five.
The Mocs nearly scored a few more too. After Alex walked for the second time in the game, Powell hit a liner up the middle that appeared headed into centerfield for a tie-breaking hit. Stewart got a glove on it though, knocked it down and threw to first for the final out of the inning.
Webber had a chance to re-claim the lead in the top of the sixth, but stranded a pair of walks when Parsons threw out Mahowald from her shortstop position with a dart to first.
Howell started the bottom of the sixth with a single into left and was able to take second when the ball briefly got away. Parsons bunted her to third, and Bethany Boomer reached on an error to give the Mocs two base runners with only one out. Two batters later, Hunt came through again with a single through the left side that plated Howell with the go-ahead run.
Alderman then retired the Warriors in order in the top of the seventh to end the game, giving her a 2-0 record for the season.
Alderman also got the save in game one when she relieved Christine Clark in the top of the seventh with two on and none out, and the Mocs up 5-2. The Warriors were able to get a run home when Kym Collins singled in Lacy Lambeth, but Alderman got back-to-back strikeouts after that before Scott made a tough catch in short leftfield to end the game.
That also got Clark her second win of the year, though she had to work around nine hits and two walks in her six innings of work. The Warriors actually out-hit the Moccasins 10-6, but left 11 runners on base.
Clark never had to work from behind though, as Howell ripped a two-run triple in the bottom of the first to put the Mocs ahead 2-0. When the Warriors got a run in the top of the third, the Mocs responded with three in the bottom of the third, two of them scoring on bases-loaded walks by Parsons and Mallory Butler. An infield hit by Scott gave the Mocs their final run and a 5-1 lead.
Doubles by Ward in the fifth and seventh helped Webber score its final two runs before Alderman shut the door and made a winner of Clark. Kristen LeFan, who had pitched consecutive shutouts to start the season, took the loss for Webber while allowing six hits and seven walks. She struck out nine, pushing her season total to 39 in just 20 innings.
Florida Southern will be back at home on Saturday, February 20, when it hosts Palm Beach Atlantic in a doubleheader beginning at 2:00.
