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TAMPA â€" Kayla Cox picked up her second shutout of the series in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader between Tampa and Florida Southern, but given a chance to see the All-American pitcher for a third time, the Moccasins were perhaps a couple of inches away from beating her. After dropping an 8-0 decision in game one of the doubleheader, a 7th-inning rally in game two came up a little bit short, with the Mocs falling 6-4.
In Friday’s opener, Tampa (22-8, 10-5 Sunshine State Conference) used a big fourth inning to break open a scoreless game, just as it did Thursday night. The Spartans sent 12 batters to the plate, scoring six runs on five hits and three walks, with a Florida Southern error putting one runner on base. One inning later they scored two more runs to win by the 8-run rule, giving Cox her 11th shutout of the season.
Before the big fourth inning, Lauren Wolfe had allowed just one hit, a second-inning single by Katlyn Raatz. The Spartans also got two base runners in the third inning on a walk and an error, but Moccasin centerfielder Allasyn Lieneck kept them from scoring when she threw out a runner at the plate. It was the seventh time this season the junior from nearby Oldsmar gunned down a runner attempting to score.
In the top of the fourth, Dayna Hunn broke up another no-hit bid by Cox with a single up the middle, but it was the only one the Moccasins had before the game ended in the fifth. Cox finished with six strikeouts and no walks, improving her record to 16-4.
Raatz had two of Tampa’s eight hits, including a double in the fourth inning that followed a single by Taylor Storey and provided the Spartans with their first two runs. Kandi Kuder’s single to left plated Storey, and an infield single by Brie Walton brought Raatz in for a 2-0 lead. Tampa would also score on a bases-loaded walk to Chelsey Brooks, and a 2-run single by Meagan Burke that ended the day for Wolfe (4-7). An error allowed another run to score and made it 6-0.
After a pair of walks in the bottom of the fifth, Tampa ended the game with an RBI double by Kayleen Boatwright and RBI single by Taylor Collins.
In game two, Florida Southern and Tampa combined for five runs in the first inning, with the Moccasins taking a 2-0 lead with four hits in the top half, and the Spartans going ahead 3-2 with four hits in the bottom half.
Facing Julia Morrow for the first time in the series, Florida Southern started the game with a base hit by Gianni Artidiello. Leah Pemberton had the Mocs’ second hit, and Jordan Alexander and Heather Brinkmeier followed with two more, with each of them driving in a run.
The 2-0 lead didn’t hold up for the Moccasins though, as Tampa started its half of the inning with a walk by Boatwright and a single by Katie Bannon. Two batters later, Stacy Piagno tied the game with a 2-run triple, and Storey gave UT the lead with an RBI double.
An infield single by Bannon and an outfield error gave Tampa another run in the bottom of the second before Florida Southern put together a threat in the top of the third. The Mocs got a single by Artidiello and a walk by Hunn for two base runners, and got them both into scoring position, but the Spartans turned to Cox at that point.
The junior pitcher left the Moccasins at second and third and then settled in as the Spartans gave her two more runs with which to work. She ended up needing them.
Trailing 6-2 going into the seventh inning, the Moccasins jumped off the floor with a leadoff single by Khaliah Brown, and they got another base runner when Cox was indecisive after fielding a ground ball hit by Artidiello. Christie Bailey followed with a hard-hit ball into the hole that nearly went for another single, but Boatwright grabbed it before it could get through and nipped her at first with a strong throw. It did move both runners into scoring position though, and the Mocs made it count when Hunn and Pemberton delivered back-to-back RBI singles, trimming the Tampa lead to 6-4.
Cox got a pop-up for the second out of the inning, which brought Brinkmeier to the plate with runners at first and second. The redshirt junior first baseman hit the ball hard to right field, and it looked like it might get over the head of Taylor Collins, who was playing fairly shallow. Collins got back in time though to reach over her head for the catch, allowing Cox and the Spartans to escape with the win.
Florida Southern finished with a total of 10 hits off Morrow and Cox (17-4), with five coming against each UT pitcher. Artidiello had three of them, and Pemberton had two. Kelliann Connors was perfect at the plate in game two, going 1-for-1 with a pair of walks. Morrow struck out two and walked two in 2.2 innings, and Cox had no strikeouts and one walk in 4.2 innings of work.
Tampa had 11 hits off Moccasin pitcher Chelsea Oglevie, who went the distance and fell to 8-11. Storey had three, while Bannon and Burke had two apiece. Oglevie also struck out two and walked one. Two of the six runs against her were unearned.
Florida Southern will be at home for its next set of games when it opens a conference series with Florida Tech with a single game on Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
