LAKELAND â€" Christine Clark could not have been much better than she was Saturday afternoon against Eckerd College, with a 2-hit shutout and 16 strikeouts in a 7-0 win by Florida Southern. Brittany Martin had a pretty good day too for the Moccasins with four hits and three RBI in the doubleheader. However, Whitney Bernier and Julie Bierchen made sure at least part of the day belonged to Eckerd, as Bernier pitched the Tritons to a 3-2 victory in game two, and Bierchen had three hits and scored two runs.
Clark, who tossed a perfect game in 2011 against Florida Tech, was nearly untouchable against Eckerd. She struck out the first seven Triton batters before Emily Wiemken popped up to catcher Devin Mathews in foul territory next to the plate. Sarah Agnew then singled into left for Eckerd’s first hit, and Kristen Schurr later singled to lead off the fifth, but Clark was otherwise in complete control. In addition to the 16 strikeouts, Clark also got two outs on foul pop-ups to the catcher, and one ground ball out back to the circle.
Clark’s previous career-high in strikeouts was nine, and prior to Saturday she’d struck out more than seven on only two occasions. Wiemken was the only Triton who didn’t strike out at least once. Clark (11-2) had nine swinging third strikes, and seven called, and the 16 strikeouts were the most for a Moccasin pitcher since Megan Brown had the same number in a 2005 NCAA regional playoff game against West Florida. Brown, however, needed nine innings to do it, and no Moccasin pitcher had notched 16 in a regulation game since Keltie Christian fanned 16 in a 2001 game at Eckerd.
Florida Southern (18-3, 3-2 Sunshine State Conference) led 5-0 after just two innings, getting an RBI single from Randi Grimes in the bottom of the first, an RBI single from Karlyn Scott in the bottom of the second, and a 3-run homer from Martin in the second as well. Steph Graziani had hits in both innings, scoring each time, and Christie Bailey was also part of the 4-run second with a leadoff double.
In the bottom of the fourth, Scott was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and Grimes drove her in with a double to the fence in left center. Mathews brought Grimes in with a two-out single to left that made it 7-0. The Mocs could have had more, but Eckerd right fielder Brittany Mitchell went crashing into the fence to grab a long drive hit by Dayna Hunn for the final out of the inning. It was the second time in the game Hunn nearly hit one out, only to have it caught just inside the park by a Triton outfielder.
Graziani picked up her third hit of the game with a two-out single in the fifth inning and stole second, but the Mocs were unable to get her home for what could have been their eighth run of the game. It was the fifth time this year Graziani had at least three hits, and it gave Florida Southern 12 as a team.
Just as 2001 was the last time a Moccasin pitcher struck out 16 batters in a 7-inning game, it was also the last time Eckerd won in Lakeland, and Bernier (2-2) ended the long drought for the Tritons (8-19, 1-1) by limiting the Mocs to only one earned run on six hits in Saturday’s second game. Her teammates staked her to a 3-0 lead by scoring one run in each of the first three innings, with Bierchen picking up a key hit in the first two. Bierchen also made a long running catch on a ball Martin smoked into right center with a runner on second and two out in the bottom of the first. It was one of at least three pivotal plays on defense for the Tritons that helped them hold on for the 1-run victory.
Eckerd had eight base runners in the first three innings before Lauren Wolfe (5-2) settled down and held them to only three over the final four innings, including just one hit. She allowed a total of seven hits in the game, struck out five and walked two.
The Tritons loaded the bases with none out in the top of the first on singles by Bierchen and Mitchell, and a walk by Chelsea Jeffares. Wolfe was able to strike out Alex Sasso for out number one, but Kristen Schurr followed with an infield single that plated Bierchen with the first run.
In the second inning, Wolfe got the first two batters before Bierchen hit a flare down the line just behind the infield dirt at third base and ended up at second. Mitchell then lined a triple to right that made it 2-0.
In the top of the third, the Tritons used a leadoff double by Sasso, a wild pitch and a passed ball to score their final run, and it gave them just enough for the win.
After hitting into a double play to end the fourth inning, Florida Southern got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Mathews started the inning with her second hit of the game, and third of the doubleheader, and was replaced by pinch-runner Allasyn Lieneck. Hunn moved Lieneck into scoring position with a ground out, and a base hit by Bailey drove her in with the Mocs’ first run. A bunt by Graziani then resulted in a 3-base throwing error that allowed Bailey to score as well.
Though Florida Southern left Graziani at third, the Mocs threatened again in the sixth and seventh innings, but its best chance at tying the game was in the sixth. With one out, Martin drove a pitch to deep left center that hit off the very top of the fence, barely staying in play for a double. That one inch proved to be fateful. The Mocs got Martin to third and Mathews hit one up the middle that appeared to be on its way into centerfield for a game-tying hit. Bernier though, was able to deflect it and slow the ball down for shortstop Sarah Agnew, who threw out Mathews at first to end the inning.
The Mocs would then strand Bailey at first after a one-out walk in the seventh.
Florida Southern finished with six hits in the game, including one by Karlyn Scott, whose single in the first inning extended her streak of consecutive at-bats with a hit to nine. It was the longest such streak for the Moccasins since 1993, when Wanda Graham had hits in a school-record 13 straight official at-bats. Scott was 2-for-4 in the doubleheader, with a sacrifice bunt, a hit-by-pitch and stolen base.
Florida Southern and Eckerd will complete their 3-game series on Sunday with a single game at 12:00 p.m.
