Box Score
SAINT LEO â€" Sierra Lacey’s first career RBI gave Chelsea Oglevie her fourth shutout of the season, with a couple of big assists from catcher Kim Booker. Lacey drove in the only run of the game with a base hit in the top of the fourth inning, Oglevie scattered six hits, and Booker threw out two runners trying to steal as Florida Southern defeated Saint Leo 1-0 on Thursday night.
Florida Southern (22-17, 8-11 Sunshine State Conference) was held to five hits by Alana Tabel but strung three of them together in the fourth inning to score. Junior Priscilla Gonzalez (Miami, Fla.) got the first one with a bunt single and moved into scoring position with her first stolen base of the season. Senior Heather Brinkmeier (Port St. Joe, Fla.) got her to third with a base hit into left, and Lacey followed with a single to right, bringing Gonzalez in to score. A freshman from Seffner, Florida, Lacey was making only her third start of the season as Florida Southern’s designated player.
The best scoring chance for either team in the first three innings came in the bottom of the third when Saint Leo (26-19, 8-11) got singles from Angela Kafalas and Michelle George. Oglevie came back though to get three straight outs, which included sophomore third baseman Jordan Alexander (Valrico, Fla.) reaching over the retaining fence in front of the Moccasin dugout to catch one ball.
After the Moccasins had scored in the top of the fourth, the Lions put together another threat in the bottom of the fifth when George and Rachael Heath had back-to-back one-out singles. Oglevie got the second out with a called third strike against the Lions’ leading hitter, Adriana Sanders, and the final one when she fielded a bunt by McKenzie Burns and threw the speedy leftfielder out at first.
Once more the Lions threatened to score in the bottom of the sixth, and once more Oglevie and Booker kept them off the board. When Chelsey Steedley walked with one out, Booker gunned her down attempting to steal second. It was a crucial play as Sarah Steiner followed with a double into the leftfield corner that would have otherwise tied the game. Oglevie then won a battle with Cassie Boggs for the final out of the inning, a foul pop-up caught by Booker.
Earlier in the game, Booker had also thrown out Sanders at second after the Lions’ leadoff hitter had walked in the bottom of the first inning. The junior from Bartow has set a school record this year with 18 runners caught stealing and leads the SSC in percentage of runners thrown out. She was 2-for-2 Thursday night.
That helped Oglevie toss her fourth shutout of the season as she improved to 10-9. The senior from Tampa struck out five and walked two.
Tabel fell to 5-7 with the loss, even after holding the Mocs without a hit over the last three innings. She had four strikeouts and no walks.
Florida Southern and Saint Leo are scheduled to complete their series with a doubleheader Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. The games were moved up an hour in an attempt to avoid potential rain later in the afternoon.
