FROSTPROOF â€" Christine Clark was once again at her best in game one of Wednesday’s doubleheader with Webber International. In game two, when she wasn’t, the Moccasin batting order made sure it didn’t matter. Clark allowed just one hit in five near-perfect innings in game one, before Karlyn Scott and Randi Grimes each had three RBI in game two, leading the Mocs to 7-0 and 9-3 victories over the Warriors.
Clark pitched five innings in the opener before being lifted with Florida Southern ahead 6-0. In those five innings, she allowed just one base runner â€" a two-out double by Shauna Ward in the bottom of the first. After that, she retired the final 13 batters she faced, and finished with five strikeouts. Liana Derringer pitched the final two innings, working around two Webber hits in the seventh to complete the shutout. She added two strikeouts and no walks to the Mocs’ final pitching line.
Florida Southern went three-up, three-down in the first two innings, but in the top of the third scored two runs on two hits for the only runs Clark would need. Heather Raulerson led off the third with a walk, and was bunted to second by Brandy Pikus. Dani Blake then hit a single into short center, and when the Warriors threw home to prevent Raulerson from scoring, Blake alertly took second. That base-running play helped the Mocs score when Steph Graziani grounded out to second to bring in Raulerson, and Scott beat out an infield hit that allowed Blake to score from third.
The Moccasins (19-14) scored two more runs in each of the next two innings as well, but they got help from Webber, which committed three errors in the fourth, and one in the fifth. All of them were a factor too, as was a mental error by the Warriors in the fifth. Brittany Martin was involved in two of the miscues, scoring once in each of those two innings.
In the fourth, Martin reached on a 3-base error to start the inning, and when Grimes grounded out to second, was able to beat the throw to the plate to give the Mocs a 3-0 lead. The Warriors (12-21) then committed another error that put Clark on base, and she eventually score on error number three, a wild throw on a one-out infield single by Pikus.
In the fifth, Erin Foley singled with one out and took second on a wild pitch with Martin at the plate. Martin then singled into right field, and when the ball bounced past Whitney Dukes, Foley was able to score, even after holding up at second to make sure the ball dropped in for a hit. Martin took second on the error, and then Webber pitcher Tiffany Ragans threw her second wild pitch of the inning, she took third. As Ragans took the throw from catcher Dallas King, Martin continued home to score with home plate unguarded.
A diving catch by Webber leftfielder Cody Windham prevented Florida Southern from scoring again in the sixth inning, but the Mocs got their final run in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by Foley. That too came with an error involved, as Scott singled in front of her, and took second when the ball bounced away from Staci Cauthen in the outfield.
Clark also started in the circle in game two and again went five innings, and though the Warriors scored three runs off her this time, the Moccasins never trailed after scoring four runs in the first two innings. Scott drove in three of them with an RBI single in the first, and a two-run double in the second. Each time, Graziani had singled in front of her, and Scott also scored a run in the first inning on a base hit by Grimes.
Clark helped her own cause with an RBI double in the fifth to give the Moccasins a 5-2 lead, and after Webber scored again in the bottom of the fifth, the Mocs blew it open with four in the top of the sixth. Graziani, Scott and Grimes were part of that inning too, with Graziani reaching on an error, and Scott reached on a strikeout/wild pitch. After a single by Foley loaded the bases, Martin singled in two runs, and Grimes doubled in two more.
Martin and Grimes each had three of Florida Southern’s 14 hits in the second game, while Graziani, Scott and Blake all had two.
Clark improved to 16-7 with her second win of the night, giving up three runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking one. Morgan Brown pitched two scoreless innings to end the game.
Brittany Spencer had two hits and two RBI for Webber, while Yahtea Benton and Ashley Clark also had two hits.
Florida Southern will be on the road Saturday in a 1:00 doubleheader at Palm Beach Atlantic.
