Box Score
LAKELAND â€" Florida Southern and Rollins shared the 2009 Sunshine State Conference title, and their first meeting of 2010 was dominated by a group of players who weren’t even around for last year’s down-to-the-wire race. With freshman Lauren Caldwell going 4-for-5, junior college transfer Jessica Moreland driving in two runs, and freshman pitcher Kirsten Frame holding the Mocs scoreless for six innings, Rollins came away with a 6-2 win in the opener of their 3-game series.
Depending on your point of view, the night had either a thrilling start or an ominous one, as Caldwell hit the fourth pitch of the game for a leadoff home run that put Florida Southern (15-11, 1-3) into an early hole. Her triple in the second inning gave the Tars (22-3, 1-0) another run, and she also singled in both the fourth and seventh innings for her first career 4-hit game.
Moreland, meanwhile, walked in her first two trips to the plate, then gave the Tars their final two runs with a 2-run single in the sixth.
While the Tars picked up 11 hits off a trio of Florida Southern pitchers, the Moccasins had only two off Frame through the first six innings. Peggy Alex singled in the first and Christine Clark singled in the second, but that was it for Florida Southern until the bottom of the seventh when the Mocs got three hits and broke up the shutout. Frame also struck out six and walked two in improving her record to a league-best 16-1.
Florida Southern countered with its own freshman pitcher, Brittaney Alderman, but the Tars got to her for three runs in the first two innings before she exited after a leadoff walk to Meredith Foster in the fifth. That turned out to be the only inning Rollins didn’t have a hit, but Foster still moved around the bases on a hit batter and sacrifice bunt, before scoring on a groundout by Brittney Pumpelly. That closed the books on Alderman, who gave up four runs on seven hits, struck out two and walked five.
Moreland’s two-run single came off Morgan Brown following hits by Amber Pederson and Krista Rodden. It was the second hit of the game for both Pederson and Rodden, a transfer from the University of South Alabama.
Down 6-0 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Moccasins came to life with a walk by Elli Howell and singles by Lindsey Powell and Clark that loaded the bases with none out. Heather Raulerson hit into a fielder’s choice, but it brought in Howell, and a base hit by Bethany Boomer later knocked in Powell. Frame was able to end the game, however, before Florida Southern could get the tying run to the plate.
The Moccasins and Tars will battle twice on Wednesday in a doubleheader at Barnett Field that begins at 6:00 p.m.
