LAKELAND â€" It may have seemed like Florida Southern’s senior day would never end, but for five Moccasin seniors who’d rather play forever, it ended with a win. From Morgan Brown’s warrior-like 15-inning complete game in the opener, to Randi Grimes’ game-ending hit in the nightcap, it’s a doubleheader that won’t be easily forgotten. The final results had Nova Southeastern winning game one, 10-7, and Florida Southern taking game two, 3-2.
After Thursday night’s game went 12 innings, the teams played the equivalent of three games on Friday, and the first game of the doubleheader was like two different games within a game. The first seven innings saw Florida Southern and Nova score seven runs each, and the final eight was a pitcher’s duel that didn’t see any runs scored until an error in the top of the 15th allowed the Sharks to score three. Brown was there for all of it, giving up 10 runs, but only one earned run as the Moccasins committed eight errors.
Brown gave up 13 hits, struck out eight and walked four, and every time the Sharks seemed to have her on the ropes, she slugged her way out of it. The senior threw 247 pitches in by far the longest outing of her career, and the second longest of any pitcher in school history. Only Keltie Christian went further, throwing every pitch in Florida Southern’s 2-1, 21-inning loss to Barry in 2001.
The 7-7 deadlock at the end of seven innings was eventually decided in the top of the 15th when Katie Kelton led off with her fifth hit of the game, and the Moccasins committed back-to-back errors. The second one allowed both runners who were already on base to score when the throw to third ended up down the line in left. Laura Saladrigas, whose sacrifice bunt started the play, also circled the bases to give the Sharks their 10-7 lead.
So much earlier, Nova had scored five runs in the top of the second when the Moccasins also made three errors and Brown gave up only two hits. One of those was a leadoff double by Brittany Phillips, who scored the first run of the game on a one-out single by Dani Milan. What followed was a walk, an error, a sacrifice fly by Kelton, and two more errors that produced three more runs for a 5-0 Nova lead.
The Moccasins got back in the game in the bottom of the third with four runs, with Steph Graziani stealing home as part of a double steal with Karlyn Scott, and Scott later scoring on a Nova error before Peggy Alex and Dezirae Parsons drove in runs with back-to-back one-out hits. Parsons’ hit was a ground-rule double that landed in deep center and bounced off the top of the fence, forcing Alex to return to third. The Mocs couldn’t get her in after that leaving the Sharks with a 5-4 lead.
The Sharks had just one hit in the fifth inning when they scored their next two runs, as the Mocs committed one error and Brown hit two batters to load the bases with two out. Holly Roberson then drove in two with a single, putting the Sharks ahead 7-4.
Randi Grimes would hit a two-run triple in the bottom of the sixth, however, once again getting the Moccasins within a single run, and in the bottom of the seventh they got that run to send the game to extra innings. Heather Raulerson, who had four hits and a walk in the game, gave the Mocs a base runner with a one-out single and was bunted to second by Dani Blake. Graziani then ripped a double to left center, tying the game at seven.
The Moccasins had base runners in every extra frame, but hit stranded 10 of them and hit into two double plays. Nova Southeastern also left 10 runners on base in extra innings, and the two teams combined for 36 in the game.
Lexi Sarradet earned the win for Nova with 5.2 innings of scoreless relief after starter Sara DeMuth had given up seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits, five walks and two hit batters in 9.1 innings. Raulerson led the Mocs with her four hits, while Brittany Martin had three hits and three walks, and Graziani had two hits, one walk and two HBPs.
After scoring 17 runs on 31 hits, with 10 walks, six hit batters and 10 errors in game one, the second game seemed a little more subdued. The Moccasins did all of their scoring in the first and seventh innings, and helped Christine Clark improve to 22-12 on the season. Clark gave up only one earned run on four hits, struck out four and walked one in the 3-2 win, pitching her 21st complete game of the season.
The bottom of the first saw Graziani lead off with a double and score on a one-out single by Erin Foley, and Foley score on a double by Martin. Nova then scored on an error in the top of the third, and tied it in the sixth when Kelton reached on a bunt single and crossed the plate on a double by Saladrigas.
The Moccasins claimed victory though in the bottom of the seventh. Martin drew a 4-pitch walk with two out, and Grimes followed with a single down the leftfield line. When the ball skipped past Roberson and went all the way to the fence, Martin easily scored the winning run.
Sarradet (14-6) took the loss in game two as a starter, giving up two earned runs on nine hits, striking out four and walking three. Foley, Martin and Grimes all had two of those hits for Florida Southern, and Martin had five hits and five walks in the doubleheader.
The split gave Florida Southern a final record of 25-21, and a Sunshine State Conference mark of 13-11. Nova Southeastern fell to 32-20 overall, and 11-13 in the SSC.
