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Box Score 2
CLEARWATER â€" Lindenwood pitchers Megan Newman and Kendall Ryndak walked a narrow line Friday night against Florida Southern, and even though the Moccasins gave both of them a pretty good shove, they could never quite push them over the edge. The Mocs were unable to take advantage of base runners in nearly every inning, and the Lions made two first-inning runs hold up in their 2-1 win over FSC.
Lindenwood (MO) scored both of its runs in the bottom of the first when three of the first four Lions singled off Moccasin starting pitcher Kelliann Connors. The Lions (1-2)Â also got a single to start the second inning, but Connors settled down after that and allowed only four more hits the rest of the game. The freshman from Waterford, Connecticut struck out two and walked none, but suffered her second 2-1 loss in as many starts.
Connors also scored Florida Southern’s only run in the top of the sixth inning when the Moccasins (0-5) scored without benefit of a hit off Ryndak. However, the Mocs stranded 12 runners in the game, including nine in scoring position. In five innings against Newman, they had two hits and three walks, and in two innings against Ryndak, they drew four walks. Along the way, they also had three runners reach base on Lindenwood errors, and another reach on a fielder’s choice. In five innings, they put at least two runners on base, and left them loaded in the second and sixth.
The first inning was the only frame in which the Mocs didn’t have a runner on base, and it was that inning in which the Lions scored their two runs.
Courtney Kitson, who went 2-for-3 in the game, led off the bottom of the first with a single into center and was bunted into scoring position by Macy Bross. Hannah Brown then singled into left and took second on the throw back to the infield, and Alexandra Newcomb followed with a base hit up the middle that drove in both runners.
The only other threat the Lions had, came in the bottom of the fourth when they had back-to-back 2-out singles, but Connors got out of trouble with a grounder to second. Connors also gave up a hit to Brown leading off the fifth before retiring the final six Lions of the game.
Florida Southern had a chance to answer Lindenwood in the top of the second inning when junior Heather Brinkmeier (Port St. Joe, FL) and freshman Leah Pemberton (Valrico, FL) both walked, and junior Christie Bailey (Jacksonville, FL) reached in between on a fielder’s choice sacrifice bunt. Newman got two pop-ups to keep them off the board.
The Mocs then started the third inning with junior Gianni Artidiello (Miami, FL) reaching on an error and junior Khaliah Brown (Groveport, OH) reaching on an infield single. Both ended up in scoring position, but they too were stranded. In the fifth inning, sophomore Dayna Hunn (Morriston, FL) tripled into the right centerfield gap with one out, but Newman worked around that as well, getting a strikeout and fly ball into short center.
In the top of the sixth, Lindenwood went to the bullpen, and the Mocs finally broke through against Ryndak. Freshman Jordan Alexander (Valrico, FL) drew a leadoff walk, and was replaced on a fielder’s choice by Connors. Junior Allasyn Lieneck (Oldsmar, FL) extended the inning by reaching on another Lindenwood error. When Artidiello walked after that, the Mocs had the bases loaded again, and it was junior pinch-hitter Chelsea Oglevie (Tampa, FL) who got their run home by drawing the third walk of the inning.
After leaving three on base in the sixth inning, Florida Southern still had a chance to tie the score in the seventh when Brinkmeier walked for the second time in the game. Bailey bunted her into scoring position, but Ryndak slammed the door with a strikeout and ground ball back to the circle that ended the game.
Florida Southern is scheduled to play West Florida later on Friday night, but an extra-inning game between two other teams has pushed that start back to approximately 8:30.
