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LAKELAND â€" After dropping four games in their opponents’ final at-bat earlier in February, the Moccasins turned the tables Tuesday night in their home opener against 13th-ranked Flagler. With sophomore Dayna Hunn’s 3-run double the big blow, Florida Southern scored four times in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat Flagler 5-2 in game one of their doubleheader before the Saints used two big innings in game two to win the nightcap, 16-0.
The Moccasins trailed 2-1 going into the sixth inning, but scored four runs on four hits with a walk thrown in as well. They finished with eight hits in the game, with Hunn (Morriston, FL), and juniors Allasyn Lieneck (Oldsmar, FL) and Khaliah Brown (Groveport, OH) all picking up two. Freshman Jordan Alexander (Valrico, FL)Â had one hit in her only official at-bat and also drew a pair of walks. All four of those players were involved in the sixth-inning rally, as was junior Gianni Artidiello (Miami, FL).
Lieneck led off the inning with an infield single before being erased at second on a fielder’s choice. Flagler pitcher Kalyn Loverich (now 5-2) got the second out of the inning too, but the next four Moccasins reached base against her. Brown’s single into left put runners at first and second and a walk to Alexander loaded the bases. Artidiello then bounced one up the middle that tipped off the glove of Loverich and trickled between shortstop Lauren Bessent and second baseman Malloree Escue. That drove in the tying run, and Hunn followed with a bases-clearing double into left center that gave the Mocs a 5-2 lead.
In the top of the seventh, Moccasin junior pitcher Chelsea Oglevie (Tampa, FL) worked around a leadoff single and an error to finish the game and improve to 2-4 on the season. She gave up seven hits and only one earned run while striking out five and walking four.
The Moccasins had taken a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Alexander led off with a walk and eventually scored on a bases-loaded walk to her high school teammate, freshman Leah Pemberton (Valrico, FL). Flagler tied the game 1-1 in the top of the third when Kirstie Flink singled in Lauren Roudabush, who had reached base on an error to start the inning. Both teams also lost runs in the third inning on plays at the plate.
Flagler went ahead 2-1 in the top half of the fourth inning, using doubles by Escue and Molly Whittington to produce their run. They had a chance to score more after getting runners at second and third with one out, but Pemberton made a nice play at second for out number two, freezing Whittington at third, before Oglevie induced another ground out to Pemberton for the final out of the inning.
In game two, Flagler (10-3) scored six runs in the top of the first inning and nine in the top of the seventh, while pounding out 20 hits en route to the 16-0 victory. Katie Enright, who had beaten the Mocs in relief earlier this year in Clearwater, pitched a 3-hit shutout to improve to 5-0 on the season.
Flagler batted around in the first inning, with Christen Moon and Flink picking up RBI singles, and Escue, Whittington and Marissa Blake all hitting RBI doubles. Flink also had a pair of run-scoring doubles in the 9-run seventh to finish with four RBI in the game, and Whittington also had another RBI double in the seventh. Altogether, 11 different Saints had a hit, with Cochran, Flink and Escue all recording three.
Sophomore Lauren Wolfe (Lithia, FL), who came on for the Moccasins (2-9) in the bottom of the first, allowed just one run over the next five innings to give Florida Southern a chance to get back in the game, though Enright never allowed it to happen. The Mocs did load the bases against her in the bottom of the seventh with only one out, but Enright brought the game to a close with back-to-back strikeouts.
Junior shortstop Christie Bailey (Jacksonville, FL) had two of Florida Southern’s three hits with Lieneck picking up the other. The Mocs also got two more walks from Alexander, their leadoff hitter who went 1-for-3 with four walks and a sacrifice bunt in the doubleheader.
Florida Southern will be on the road this weekend for four games in the Saint Leo University Challenge. On Friday, the Moccasins will face 10th-ranked Columbus State at 1:30 p.m., and Southeastern at 3:45 p.m.
