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LAKELAND â€" The type of game Lauren Wolfe pitched for Florida Southern on Saturday produced a lot of nervous laughter early, but by the end of it, the sophomore pitcher had every reason to smile. A near no-hitter was in the books, and a 2-run triple by Dayna Hunn had given the Moccasins a 2-0 win over Nova Southeastern. In game two, freshman Kelliann Connors delivered the big hit with a tie-breaking RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning, lifting them to a 3-2 win over the Sharks.
What a day it was for Wolfe, who threw her second 2-hit shutout of the season to stop Nova Southeastern’s 8-game winning streak, which had been the longest current streak in the Sunshine State Conference. Now 5-9 on the season, Wolfe gave up only a bunt single to Lorena Spaulding with two out in the fifth inning, and a line drive single to left by Shelby Talon leading off the seventh. Neither of them made it beyond first base, and Wolfe ended the game with a fielder’s choice ground-out, a foul pop-up and her fifth strikeout.
It wasn’t always easy though, as Wolfe had to overcome six walks in the first three innings. Two of them came in the top of the first before freshman second baseman Leah Pemberton ended the inning by tagging one runner in the base line and throwing to Heather Brinkmeier at first to complete a double play. She also walked the Sharks’ first batter of the second inning, and got out of trouble there with back-to-back strikeouts.
In the top of the third, Wolfe again walked the leadoff batter, but this time got Spaulding to line a bunt to third baseman Gianni Artidiello, whose throw to Pemberton covering first produced another double play. Two more walks followed that before Wolfe induced cleanup hitter Erika Garcia into a pop fly to shortstop Christie Bailey.
The Moccasins (15-26, 6-12) made Wolfe’s effort pay off in the bottom of the third when Cassie Haynes reached on an infield single and Bailey walked. Hunn then launched a pitch into the gap in right center for a triple, putting the Mocs ahead, 2-0.
Armed with a lead, Wolfe settled down and retired nine of the next 10 Nova batters. A spinning bunt down the first base line by Spaulding with two out in the fifth broke up the no-hitter, but the Sharks never came close to scoring over the final four innings.
On the other side, the Mocs never seriously threatened Jennie Von Doellen again either. The junior from Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan allowed only eight base runners in the game to begin with, and four of them came in the third inning when Florida Southern scored its only runs. The Mocs did get singles from Haynes and Artidiello in the fifth inning, but Von Doellen (14-15) got six straight outs after that to give her team a chance to come back. In the complete game, she allowed only five hits, struck out two and walked three.
Haynes had two of the hits for Florida Southern, while Pemberton had one hit, one walk and two stolen bases.
The drama of a possible no-hitter ended early in game two when Spaulding started the first inning with another bunt single for the Sharks (21-23, 6-15), and scored two batters later on a base hit by Laura Saladrigas. The Sharks also got a leadoff home run by starting pitcher Erika Garcia in the top of the fourth, but not much else off Moccasin pitcher Chelsea Oglevie.
In fact, after the home run by Garcia, Oglevie set down 10 in a row en route to her 10th win of the season. The junior gave up a total of five hits (two of them infield singles), struck out two and walked no one. She’s now 10-14 on the year.
Florida Southern erased the 1-0 deficit with two runs in the bottom of the first. Artidiello and Hunn each had singles for the Moccasins, who tied the game when Pemberton reached on a 1-out error. Jordan Alexander brought in the go-ahead run with a ground ball to short, with Hunn sliding into the plate under the glove of Nova catcher Marissa Raimo.
Over the next four innings, Garcia held the Mocs to only two base runners, a single by Artidiello in the second inning and a double by Artidiello in the fifth. It was her third 3-hit game of the season, and her second against her former team.
Pemberton singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth, with the ball just falling in ahead of a diving Saladrigas in rightfield. Alexander bunted her to second, and a single by Brinkmeier sent Pemberton to third. Connors then bounced an 0-2 pitch through the left side of the infield to knock in Pemberton with what proved to be the winning run. It ended a 5-game personal winning streak for Garcia (5-4), who still allowed only one earned run in defeat. She gave up seven hits with no walks or no strikeouts.
The Sharks did get a base runner in the top of the seventh when Talon singled through the left side with one out. Alexander helped out Oglevie with a tough catch in foul ground when the Sharks tried to bunt Talon into scoring position, and Chelsea Emery’s foul out to third ended the game.
Florida Southern will play a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday when it hosts Webber International, starting at 6:00 p.m.
