Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 TAMPA – Sophomore Brandi Jones brought her "A" game in Saturday's doubleheader at the University of Tampa, but unfortunately for the Moccasins, so did the Spartans' Julia Morrow. Matched up in both games against the senior All-American, Jones allowed just one earned run, while juniors Jordan Alexander and Leah Pemberton each had a pair of hits in the nightcap, but the Spartans won 2-0 and 4-0.
Although the Moccasins were held to one hit by Morrow in the opener, theirs was the first of the game when senior Jessica Lanci (Orlando, Fla.) singled into short left center with two out in the top of the third. From that point on, however, Morrow was untouchable, setting down the final 13 hitters of the game. She finished with 13 strikeouts and no walks.
Tampa scored one of its runs off Jones (Snellville, Ga.) and one off sophomore Hannah Loyer (Bradenton, Fla.), who went the final two innings in relief. In each case, it was an infield single by Tampa shortstop Sahrina Cortes that provided the spark, and each time it was a hit by Bre Setree that brought her in.
In the bottom of the third, Cortes lined a pitch off the arm of Jones that went for an infield hit with a walk by Meagan Burke pushing her into scoring position. Cortes came home when Setree singled up the middle. Two innings later, it was a slow roller to the third base side of the pitcher's circle that put Cortes on base, and after taking third on a wild pitch, she scored the second run of the game on a double by Setree.
Cortes and Setree combined for four of the seven hits Tampa had in game one off the combination of Jones and Loyer. The two Moccasin pitchers also combined for six strikeouts and two walks.
The defensive play of the game though came from Florida Southern senior third baseman Gianni Artidiello (Miami, Fla.). With runners at second and third, and none out in the top of the fifth, Burke hit a line drive that Artidiello snared with a diving catch just inside the line. She then pulled off the unassisted double play by tagging Kandi Kuder scrambling back to the bag.
Morrow and Jones squared off again in game two, and though each team had chances to score earlier, it was still 0-0 until the Spartans scored twice in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by Cortes and a sacrifice fly by Setree. They added two more in the sixth, with Cortes driving in another run with a bloop double into short left.
Twice in the first four innings Florida Southern got hits from Alexander (Valrico, Fla.) and Pemberton (Valrico, Fla.) back-to-back, but each time left them on base. The second occasion came when they started the top of the fourth that way and Alexander and Pemberton later pulled off a double steal. Morrow got a fly ball to shallow right and a foul popup though to end the threat. That turned out to be the final base runners of the game for the Moccasins, with Morrow tossing her second shutout of the day.
Tampa's senior pitcher gave up four hits, struck out 10 and walked no one to up her record to 17-5. It was Morrow's eighth and ninth shutouts of the season.
Jones fell to 8-11, and though she gave up nine hits in game two, none of the four runs against her were earned. She struck out three and walked one. Each time Tampa scored, the inning started with an error, and both of those runners came around to score.
Florida Southern (14-22, 1-10 Sunshine State Conference) and Tampa (20-9, 8-6) will wrap up their 3-game series with a single game on Sunday at noon.
