MELBOURNE â€" Down four runs after the first inning of game one Saturday, the Moccasins started digging out of that hole in the second inning, and didn’t stop digging until they were all the way out of it. Up by three runs after two innings of game two, they managed to keep Florida Tech in the hole when it looked like the Panthers might be climbing out. Florida Southern ended up with both wins, however, beating Florida Tech 5-4 and 3-2, to finish off a 3-game weekend sweep.
The Moccasins (33-14, 10-8) fell behind in game one when the first four Panther hitters all reached base and came around to score. Despite the rocky start though, Lauren Wolfe kept them from scoring again, going 6.0 innings for the win before Christine Clark pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to finish the game. Against the Wolfe/Clark combo, the Panthers had just three base runners over the final six innings, and only one of those made it into scoring position. Wolfe retired 14 of the final 16 batters she faced, and Clark made it 17 of 19 for the Mocs with a strikeout and two pop-ups in the seventh.
The win gave Wolfe a 7-4 record, while Clark’s save was her fourth of the season. Wolfe allowed five hits, struck out three and walked two.
Florida Southern began its comeback with two runs in the top of the second inning, an inning that started with a walk by Brittany Martin, a base hit by Dayna Hunn, and an outfield error that put them at second and third for Clark. Clark knocked in Martin with a single through the left side of the infield, and Hunn scored on a play at the plate when Devin Mathews hit a chopper out to short.
The Mocs added another run in the third inning when Steph Graziani singled, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and touched the plate on a fly ball hit deep to right by Martin. That got the Mocs within 4-3, and after a perfect fourth inning by Florida Tech starting pitcher Brianna Barth, the Panthers turned to Taylor Smith in the circle, but the freshman couldn’t hold the lead.
Though she retired the first two batters she faced, Smith got into trouble with a walk to Graziani. Randi Grimes then doubled into the left centerfield gap, and Graziani just beat the relay throw home to score the tying run. Martin followed Grimes with a pop-up into short center that was caught up in the gusting wind that was prevalent all afternoon, and none of the Panther players giving chase could make the catch. It turned into a double for Martin, and it scored Grimes with what proved to be the winning run.
The Moccasins finished with nine hits off Barth and Smith, with Martin and Hunn each picking up two.
Florida Tech had two of its five hits off Wolfe and Clark, and five of its eight base runners, in the first inning. That included a 2-run double by Lauren Cole, who drove in Barth and Eric Tollett after Wolfe hit one and walked one to start the game. Emily Densem also singled in a run during the 4-run first inning, and Cole scored as part of a double steal.
After scoring five unanswered runs to end game one, the Moccasins scored three runs in the first two innings of game two and held on for a 3-2 win. After the early scoring, it turned into another pitching duel between Clark and Barth, with both players also contributing with their bats. Clark keyed the Mocs’ 2-run second inning with a leadoff single, and Barth went 3-for-4, with a pair of RBI singles.
Scott opened the game with an infield single, moved to third on a pair of ground outs, and scored when Martin singled up the middle. One inning later, it was Clark who started the inning, moved around the bases and came home when Sam Gale singled up the middle. Scott then came to bat for the second time in the game and hit a ball off the top of the fence in right field that went for an RBI triple and gave the Mocs a 3-0 lead.
Florida Tech came back behind Barth, but only after the Panthers’ #9 hitter reached base to lead off both the third and fifth innings. In the third, it was Amanda Bueno who reached on a triple and scored on a base hit by Barth. In the fifth, Natalie Beach doubled to center and scored when Barth picked up her third hit of the game. That one got Florida Tech within 3-2, but Clark did not allow another base runner after that.
Meanwhile, Barth was shutting down the Moccasins too. After Scott’s RBI triple with two out in the top of the second inning, 14 Moccasins went down in a row against the Florida Tech ace before Devin Mathews singled in the seventh. Pinch-runner Allasyn Lieneck stole second, but the Mocs couldn’t get her in, leaving the score 3-2.
Ultimately, it came down to Clark and Barth once more. Clark struck out the first two Panther batters in the bottom of the seventh, bringing Barth to the plate for the fourth time in the game. Clark got the final out, but only after Barth drove a pitch to deep right that forced Hunn all the way back to the wall for a running catch that ended the game.
Clark allowed five hits, struck out 10 and walked one in the complete game win, improving to 23-8 on the season.
Barth fell to 11-13, giving up six hits, striking out six and walking none. She also had three of her team’s five hits.
Florida Southern will open a 3-game series at Nova Southeastern on Friday night with a single game that begins at 7:00 p.m.
