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LAKELAND â€" With the bases loaded in extra innings, if there was one player the Moccasins wanted at the plate it was Leah Pemberton, their hottest hitter over the last three weeks, and maybe the hottest in the entire Sunshine State Conference. They got what they were looking for. Pemberton’s game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth gave Florida Southern a 4-3 win over Georgia Southwestern in game one, but the Hurricanes scored six runs in the final three innings to win game two, 6-0.
Pemberton’s single was the last of four straight hits by Florida Southern (18-8) in the bottom of the ninth. She actually drove the pitch to deep left center, far enough for a bases-clearing double under normal conditions, but by rule the game was over the moment the winning run touched the plate, giving Pemberton credit for only the one base needed to decide the game. The sophomore second baseman from Valrico came into the game batting .447 during the Mocs’ 12-game winning streak that they extended to 13 in Wednesday night’s first game of the doubleheader.
The single by Pemberton was her second hit of the game to go along with one walk. It scored junior Priscilla Gonzalez (Miami, Fla.), who had doubled with one out, but was forced to hold at second when senior Heather Brinkmeier (Port St. Joe, Fla.) dropped a single into short center. Junior Kim Booker (Bartow, Fla.) followed with another single to load the bases.
Florida Southern had taken a 2-0 lead with two runs in the bottom of the third, an inning that started with a triple by senior Christie Bailey (Jacksonville, Fla.). She later scored on the first of two Georgia Southwestern errors in the inning, and senior Allasyn Lieneck (Oldsmar, Fla.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in another run.
The Hurricanes (17-13) did all of their scoring in the top of the fourth on a 2-run homer by pitcher Allison Pastor and a solo shot by Jordan Miller. A double by Nellie Moore just before Pastor’s blast was the Hurricanes’ first hit of the game off Florida Southern senior Chelsea Oglevie (Tampa, Fla.), who went the distance for her eighth win of the season against four losses.
Oglevie allowed eight hits, struck out three, and walked one. She got help from Booker behind the plate, with the Moccasin catcher throwing out one runner attempting to steal second to end the fifth inning, and picking another runner off second base to end the seventh. Sophomore third baseman Jordan Alexander (Valrico, Fla.) also made two big plays when the Hurricanes were attempting to bunt runners into scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings. Each time she threw the lead runner out at second, and one of those started a 5-6-4 double play in the seventh just before a double by Ashley Clifton.
Booker was also involved in the scoring for Florida Southern when she doubled leading off the bottom of the fifth. After moving to second on a ground out, she came home on a wild pitch to tie the game at three. Booker was one of four Moccasins with two hits in the game, with Alexander, Brinkmeier, and Pemberton also on that list.
In game two, Gonzalez went 3-for-3 with another double, and Alexander had her second 2-hit game of the night, but the Moccasins were blanked on six hits by Ashley Cavender and Pastor. Cavender, who had lost game one in relief, went the first six innings in the nightcap and gave up all six hits with one walk and no strikeouts before Pastor retired the Mocs in order in the seventh. The win gave Cavender an 8-7 record.
Freshman Hannah Loyer (Bradenton, Fla.) took the loss for Florida Southern in her first career start, though none of the three runs against her were earned. She gave up just four hits in 6.0 innings, struck out 10 and walked two while falling to 1-1.
The Hurricanes used a hit batter, stolen base, wild pitch and passed ball to score their first run in the top of the fifth. They added two more in the sixth after a leadoff single by Keri Thompkins and a 2-base wild pitch that moved her to third. Thompkins would score on a 2-out error, with Kiley Doster driving in another run with a double.
The Hurricanes also got a 2-run homer from Moore in the seventh inning and an RBI single from Chelsea Hodges.
Mason Moreland had three of Georgia Southwestern’s eight hits in the game, and two of the four off Loyer.
The Moccasins' best chance to score came in the bottom of the fifth after the Hurricanes had gone ahead 1-0. Junior Kylee Stearns (Lakeland, Fla.) and Alexander started the inning for FSC with back-to-back singles, and Pemberton moved them forward with a bunt, but the Hurricanes got out of the inning with a double play.
Florida Southern returns to Sunshine State Conference play this weekend with a 3-game series at home against 10th-ranked Tampa. The first game is Friday night at 7 p.m., with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.
