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CLEARWATER â€" With five seniors stacked at the top of Florida Southern’s lineup, there was little doubt who head coach Chris Bellotto was counting on to lead the Moccasins in their season opener Friday against West Florida. Lead is exactly what they did too, as all of them came up big in a late-inning rally that lifted the Moccasins to a 4-1 win over the Argonauts at the Eckerd College Tournament.
The Moccasins trailed 1-0 and had been held to just two hits through the first five innings, both of them by senior pitcher Christine Clark. The bats came alive though in a 4-run sixth that featured another hit by Clark, a base hit by senior outfielder Karlyn Scott that got the rally going, and a game-tying single by senior third baseman Brittany Martin. Then it fell to newcomers Devin Mathews and Dayna Hunn to put the Mocs ahead.
Scott gave Florida Southern only its third hit of the game when she singled up the middle with one out. After Scott stole second, senior first baseman Randi Grimes reached on a walk and Martin delivered another single up the middle that tied the game at one. Clark’s single to left loaded the bases for Mathews, who hit a pitch into right center that looked like it would be caught but was still deep enough for pinch-runner Marty Wilcox to score the go-ahead run. It turned out even better than that, however, when centerfielder Emma Johansen dropped the ball, which also allowed Martin to score from second and Clark to take third.
Hunn followed with another sacrifice fly to plate Clark, and the Mocs had a 4-1 lead.
Clark shut down the Argonauts after that, retiring the side in order in both the sixth and seventh innings. She got help from senior second baseman Steph Graziani and from Hunn, who both made tough plays in the bottom of the seventh to end the game. Graziani ranged up the middle to spear a grounder hit by Johansen and just got her at first for the second out of the inning. Hunn then brought the game to a close with a diving catch down the right field line.
Clark gave up five hits, walked three and struck out three to earn the win for Florida Southern. She survived a rocky start that saw the Argonauts reach her for three hits and three walks in the first two innings, but only one run. They got that run in the bottom of the first when Clark issued two of her walks and West Florida pitcher Sara Scott turned one of them into a run with an RBI single.
In the second inning, Clark loaded the bases but got out of trouble when Amber Ingram popped up to first. It looked like there might be more trouble in the third when Kasie Buckley doubled to start the inning, but Clark gave up just one more base runner the rest of the game.
Scott took the loss for West Florida (2-3), falling to 1-2 and giving up all four runs (only two earned) on five hits in 5.1 innings. She struck out two and walked two before being replaced by Jordan Ratliff.
Buckley had two of West Florida’s five hits and also walked once. Third baseman Amber Ingram had a busy day in the field for the Argonauts with eight assists and may have taken two hits away from Graziani with her glove.
Florida Southern will play Armstrong Atlantic later Friday night in its second game of the tournament.
