LAKELAND, Fla. - The Florida Southern College softball team swept Eckerd College to win the series 3-0 in the Sunshine State Conference home opener for the Moccasins. FSC defeated the Tritons in the opener on Friday evening, then swept the doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.
The Mocs won game one 6-4, before a rally in game two to finish the day with a 5-4 win.
With the win, FSC improves to 7-5 overall and 4-2 in the SSC.
FLORIDA SOUTHERN 6, ECKERD 4
The Mocs ran away with the game against the Tritons scoring all six of their runs before Eckerd could answer back in the final inning.
FSC started the runs in the bottom of the second as graduate student
Maddi Conner singled to lead off the inning. A sac bunt from sophomore
Mariah Rodriguez moved Conner into scoring position and senior
Leanna Kelly hit an RBI single that scored Conner and put the Mocs on the board. Kelly increased FSC's lead on a wild pitch to score a run and put the Mocs up 2-0.
Florida Southern remained on top with a 2-0 lead until the bottom of the fifth. Senior
Kelsey Peck both singled to right-center field to get the bats alive and the Mocs into scoring position. On the next at-bat, junior
Skyler Ralstin hit a two-run RBI single to increase the FSC lead to 4-0. Ralstin turned on the jets and scored on a single from Conner who would score to close the inning 6-0 with a single to right field from Kelly.
Eckerd cut into FSC's lead in the top of the sixth and seventh but Florida Southern's big lead gave them the 6-4 series win.
FLORIDA SOUTHERN 5, ECKERD 4
Game two started out a battle as both teams scored early on. First, the Mocs scored on an RBI single from Ralstin scoring freshman
Kenleigh Smith, who reached on a single through the right side.
The Mocs and Tritons were tied at 1-1 until the bottom of the third when the bats came back alive for FSC scoring on a sac fly from Conner and an RBI single down the left-field line from Rodriguez giving the Mocs back the lead at 3-1. Junior
Taylor Thomas doubled for an RBI and FSC increased its lead once again to 4-1.
An Eckerd error scored a security run for the Mocs, and it was just what Florida Southern needed as the Tritons cut into the Mocs lead with three runs in the top of the seventh.
On the day, FSC was led by Ralstin going 4-for-6 on the day with three RBIs.
Mel Rogers earned the win in game one to improve to 4-1 on the year while striking out four.
Ashley Blessin struck out two batters in her second appearance against the Tritons to improve to 3-2 on the season.
UP NEXT
Florida Southern takes a break from conference action to host Wilmington University on Friday night for a doubleheader on Chris Bellotto Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
