LAKELAND â€" Christine Clark helped give Florida Southern two season-opening wins over Webber International Wednesday night, but give some big assists to newcomers Randi Grimes, Khaliah Brown and Steph Graziani â€" and give a couple of them to Dani Blake. Clark was the winning pitcher in both games, and all five of those players combined for a sixth-inning comeback in the nightcap, as the Moccasins defeated the Warriors 3-1, and 3-2.
As the starting pitcher in game one, Clark scattered eight hits in a complete game effort that also saw her strike out six and walk one without allowing an earned run. The junior worked out of a bases-loaded situation in the top of the seventh too, an inning in which the Warriors (1-7) got three of their hits.
In game two, the Moccasins got five strong innings from starting pitcher Morgan Brown before she ran out of gas in the sixth, and Webber took a 2-1 lead. Clark got the final out of that inning with defensive help from Peggy Alex, and after the Mocs scored twice in the bottom of the sixth, she kept Webber off the board in the seventh for the win.
Graziani and Khaliah Brown each had three hits in the doubleheader, and both players were heavily involved in both wins.
It was Graziani, a transfer from Iowa Central Community College, who helped give the Mocs their first run of the season when she reached on a one-out single in the third inning of game one. Alex followed with a base hit up the middle, and after a passed ball moved both runners up an additional base, Graziani came home on a single by Erin Foley. Alex then scored on a wild pitch, and the Mocs were up 2-0.
Webber used two hits and an error in the top of the fifth to get on the scoreboard, with Cody Windham driving in Jianna Hernandez with a two-out single. The Warriors were kept from scoring any more runs in that inning when Florida Southern threw out two runners at the plate, one of them on the same play where Hernandez scored. Brown started that play with a throw from right field.
The Mocs got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Brittany Martin led off with a double and scored shortly thereafter on consecutive wild pitches by Tiffany Ragans.
After Webber loaded the bases with three singles in the top of the seventh, Clark got out of trouble when Ashley Clark grounded out to second for the final out.
In game two, the Moccasins again scored first with a single run in the second inning. That came when Brown singled with one out and stole second, coming home on a base hit by Heather Raulerson.
Meanwhile, Morgan Brown held the Warriors to just three infield hits over the first five innings, and the senior got the first out of the sixth before running into trouble. Four of the next five batters reached on base hits, including back-to-back two-out RBI singles by pinch-hitter Jessica Ewen and Hernandez. That brought Clark into the game, who ended the inning when Alex made a running catch in short right on a soft line drive hit by Jessica McClellan.
Trailing 2-1, the Moccasin comeback began when Grimes led off the bottom of the sixth with a base hit up the middle. With Karlyn Scott pinch-running for Grimes, Khaliah Brown slapped a pitch past McClellan at third that shortstop Ashley Clark could only glove without any chance to make a play. Two outs later, the Mocs had runners at second and third for Blake, whose infield single knocked in Scott with the tying run.
Now with runners at first and third, Graziani came to the plate again looking for her third hit of the game and fourth of the doubleheader. She didn’t get it, but the result was just as good. Graziani hit a ground ball right to Hernandez at second, who may have been distracted by adept base-running by Blake. Regardless, her throw to first bounced in the dirt, allowing Graziani to reach safely and Brown to score the go-ahead run.
The Warriors got a one-out single and a stolen base from Windham in the top of the seventh to put pressure on the Moccasins again, but Clark got a strikeout and a pop-up to end the game.
Windham finished with four of Webber’s 16 hits in the doubleheader, and Yahtea Benton had three.
Florida Southern will be on the road this weekend for a 2:00 doubleheader at Flagler College on Saturday afternoon.
