Box Score
MELBOURNE â€" Friday afternoon’s game at Florida Tech is exactly the type of game Florida Southern head coach Chris Bellotto loves to see the Moccasins play. That’s because when the Mocs put up the type of numbers they did, it almost always results in a win. Every player in the batting order had either a hit or an RBI, and pitcher Chelsea Oglevie limited the Panthers to six hits in a 7-1 series-opening win by the Moccasins.
Florida Southern (19-11, 5-5 Sunshine State Conference) had 11 hits scattered through the lineup, including three by senior Allasyn Lieneck (Oldsmar, Fla.) and two by junior Jessica Lanci (Orlando, Fla.). Each of those players was involved in two of the four innings in which the Mocs scored, as were several others, including sophomore Jordan Alexander (Valrico, Fla.) who helped get three runs home on plays where Florida Tech committed two critical errors.
Florida Southern struck for two runs in the top of the second inning after sophomore Leah Pemberton (Valrico, Fla.) walked and Lieneck singled. Junior Kylee Stearns (Lakeland, Fla.) then bounced a 2-out hit up the middle, and Pemberton scored the first run on an error in the outfield. Alexander followed with another base hit, this one a bouncing ground ball over the third base bag, with Lieneck stopping at third. However, the ball was bobbled in the outfield, and after a moment’s hesitation, Lieneck scampered home for the Mocs’ second run of the inning.
The Moccasins made it 3-0 in the top of the third when a fly ball by Kim Booker was deep enough to score Lanci from third after the Moccasin shortstop had opened the inning with a double.
The score remained that way until two out in the top of the sixth. With Pemberton and Lieneck at third and second following a pair of singles, Alexander hit a bouncer back to Florida Tech pitcher Rachel Pence that would have resulted in the final out of the inning. Instead, the throw sailed over the head of first baseman Ashley Montion for an error, allowing Pemberton and Lieneck to score. After a double by senior Christie Bailey (Jacksonville, Fla.) moved Alexander to third, Lanci delivered a base hit up the middle to make it 6-0.
Florida Southern scored its final run in the seventh when Gonzalez walked, moved to third on a pair of ground outs, and came home on a base hit by senior Heather Brinkmeier (Port St. Joe, Fla.).
The only run Oglevie allowed to the Panthers (22-15, 7-6) came on a home run by Brigit Godfrey leading off the bottom of the sixth. Godfrey was the only Panther with more than one hit, though Oglevie did have to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning. She struck out one and walked three, upping her record to 9-6.
Booker made her presence felt too for the Moccasins. The junior catcher from Bartow threw two runners out attempting to steal, and both times it was Florida Tech leadoff batter Elaine Brown. The first time occurred in the third inning with Brown on third and Godfrey on first with one out. When Godfrey broke for second, Booker’s throw to the bag was cut off by Pemberton who returned it to Booker for the tag on Brown trying to score. Two innings later, Booker threw Brown out at second for the final out of the fifth.
Pence took the loss for Florida Tech, falling to 13-8. She gave up six runs on 10 hits in 6.0 innings, though only two of those runs were earned. She struck out four and walked two before Taylor Smith pitched the seventh inning.
Florida Southern and Florida Tech are scheduled to play a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m., which will conclude their 3-game series.
