LAKELAND â€" Brittany Martin’s 2-run homer in the first inning gave Florida Southern the lead for good in game one, and Steph Graziani’s 2-run triple in the fifth inning of game two gave the Moccasins another lead they’d never lose. Freshmen Sam Gale and Marty Wilcox then took turns providing some insurance and Christine Clark made sure all of it added up to a pair of wins as the Moccasins defeated Concordia (NE), 5-1 and 3-1 Tuesday night.
The Moccasins (21-4) had to erase a 1-0 deficit in game one, but had a 3-1 lead at the end of the first inning thanks to Martin’s fifth home run of the year. The score remained that way until Christie Bailey and Gale drove in a run apiece in the sixth inning to break open a close game.
In game two, Bailey and Gale were on base in the bottom of the fifth inning in front of Graziani’s triple that put the Mocs ahead, 2-0. After the Bulldogs (3-5) scored in the top of the sixth, Wilcox came through in the bottom half of the inning with a 2-out RBI single that gave the Mocs a little more breathing room.
Clark started both games in the circle, and went the distance in both, allowing a total of nine hits in the doubleheader, striking out 15 and walking none as she improved to 14-2 on the season.
Concordia started the evening strong with three straight hits off Clark to open game one. Natalie Svoboda had the first one, a triple down the line in right field, and she scored when Shelby Morose singled into short right center. Sam Lafontaine made it three hits in a row for the Bulldogs, but first baseman Randi Grimes helped prevent any more damage when she turned an unassisted double play to end the inning.
Grimes then went to work with her bat in the bottom of the first. After a leadoff single by Graziani, Grimes tied the game at one with a double to deep center, and Martin followed with a 2-run homer to put the Mocs ahead 3-1.
The Mocs left two on base in the fourth inning, and were unable to take advantage of infield hits by Graziani and Karlyn Scott that started the fifth inning too, leaving them still holding a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth. This time, however, they pushed two more runs across the plate, with Bailey’s single driving in one of them, and Gale following Bailey with an RBI double.
That took a little more pressure off Clark, who after giving up hits to the first three batters of the game, gave up only three more the rest of the way. She struck out nine and walked none.
Nicole Sempek held the Mocs to three earned runs on nine hits, but an error in the bottom of the sixth set up Florida Southern’s final two hits and final two runs. She struck out two and walked one, falling to 3-2.
Game two was a scoreless tie between Clark and Amanda Beeson before the Moccasins broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Bailey drew a four-pitch walk and the Mocs had Gale bunt to move her into scoring position. It turned out even better for the Mocs when third baseman Molly Madsen had trouble fielding the ball, putting two on base for Graziani. Already with a 2-hit game in Tuesday’s opener, Graziani picked up her second hit of the nightcap with a triple into the right centerfield gap that scored both Bailey and Gale for a 2-0 lead.
Concordia came right back in the top of the sixth when Svoboda tripled for the second time in the doubleheader and scored on a squeeze bunt by Morose. The Bulldogs used another bunt to push Morose into scoring position, but Clark snagged a line drive hit by Angela Harstad for the final out of the inning to keep it a 2-1 game.
In the bottom of the sixth, Martin’s one-out single gave the Mocs a base runner and after taking second on a wild pitch and third on a ground out, she scored when Wilcox singled up the middle.
Clark made quick work of the Bulldogs in the seventh inning to finish off a 3-hitter and her 14th win of the season. It was the 13th time in 16 starts she allowed either one run or no runs, and it happened with six strikeouts and no walks.
Clark also got defensive help from Graziani in the final inning when the Moccasin second baseman ranged all the way behind the bag at first base to field a ground ball on the edge of the outfield and flip it on the run to Grimes for the first out.
Beeson fell to 0-3 with the loss, though she gave up only two earned runs on seven hits, with three strikeouts and two walks.
Florida Southern returns to conference play this weekend with a 3-game series against Barry University. The first game is Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at Barnett Field.
