Box Score LAKELAND – It would have been tough for Nova Southeastern pitcher Rebecca Thornton to be more efficient than she was Friday night in the opener of a three-game series between the Sharks and Moccasins, and it turned into a tough loss for Florida Southern pitcher Brandi Jones. With Thornton tossing her second shutout of the season, the Sharks used three unearned runs to defeat Jones and the Moccasins, 3-0.
Thornton's shutout was not only her second of the year, it was only the second thrown this season by the Sharks. The sophomore gave up six hits, all singles, and neither walked nor struck out a single batter while throwing just 63 pitches. She's issued only two walks in her last 62.0 innings and is now 12-9 on the season.
Despite the efficiency with which she worked, Thornton never really fooled Kylee Stearns. The senior outfielder from Lakeland had two of Florida Southern's six hits and hit the ball hard for an out in her other at-bat. She also picked up an outfield assist on a play at the plate when she prevented the Sharks (15-20, 3-13 Sunshine State Conference) from scoring an additional run in the sixth inning.
Jones, a sophomore from Snellville, Georgia, allowed 10 hits, struck out four and walked two, one of them semi-intentionally. But the Sharks got single runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings, all of them following Florida Southern errors. Dakota Villella had three of Nova's hits, going 3-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt, Maegan Lee had two hits and a walk, and Katrina Ammons had two hits, both of them doubles. That dropped Jones' record to 11-12.
It was an Ammons double that gave Nova Southeastern its first run in the top of the third after a leadoff single by Villella and a throwing error that allowed her to take an extra base. Jones got three straight outs after that to end the third, and retired the side in order in the fourth before Lee started the fifth with a double. Villella's sacrifice moved her to third, and she later scored on a 2-out error. Lee then singled in the final run in the sixth after the Mocs committed another miscue with two out.
Florida Southern (17-26, 3-13) put together its biggest scoring threat when Stearns and junior Jordan Alexander (Valrico, Fla.) each singled on the first two pitches thrown by Thornton in the bottom of the fourth. They were unable to advance though as Thornton got a pop-up to short, a line drive to second, and a grounder to second to keep the Mocs off the board.
Florida Southern and Nova Southeastern meet again Saturday afternoon in a doubleheader scheduled for 1 p.m.
