Mocs Drop Heartbreaker on Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night

LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern softball team welcomed several Florida Southern College faculty and staff to Chris Bellotto Field for a pregame recognition ceremony prior to the Moccasins series opener versus Nova Southeastern. The Mocs and Sharks were locked in a tight battle for most of the night but a seven-run seventh inning by the Sharks gave Nova Southeastern the series opener, 9-2.
 
The loss drops Florida Southern's record to 21-21 on the year and 8-14 in Sunshine State Conference play. The Sharks improved to 28-12 overall and 12-7 in league action.
 
A trio of Moccasins finished with two hits in the contest including sophomore Destiny Colgate, graduate student Maddi Conner and junior Taylor Thomas. Colgate was 2-for-4 while Conner went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a hit by pitch. Thomas also went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
 
Senior Leanna Kelly collected the only other RBI for the Mocs as she went 1-for-3 at the plate. Senior Kelsey Peck collected the lone extra base hit for the Mocs as she was 1-for-2 with a double and a hit by pitch.
 
Junior Ashley Blessin made the start in the circle and went 6.1 innings with a strikeout and two walks. She allowed nine hits and saw eight run cross the plate including seven earned. Five of the nine hits came in the decisive seventh inning as Blessin had held the Sharks to just four hits in the opening six frames. Senior Tiana Hernandez pitched the final 0.2 of an inning with a walk, hit by pitch and zero hits allowed.
 
The Sharks struck first in the opening inning as a two-out triple led to the opening run of the game. Following the triple, NSU managed a single up the middle to plate the first runner of the contest. Three innings later, the Sharks took a 2-0 lead as a two-out error from the Mocs allowed the run to score.
 
The Mocs quickly responded after the second run of the game as FSC used a trio of singles to cut the deficit in half. Conner opened the inning with a single up the middle. She was then sacrificed over to second. A Colgate single made it first and third with one out before Thomas found some grass in left field to plate the first run of the game for the Mocs. Back-to-back strikeouts by the Sharks ended the rally.
 
Two innings later in the sixth, back-to-back singles followed by a hit by pitch loaded the bases for the Mocs with one out. A single that just passed over the outstretched glove of the first baseman by Kelly drove in the tying run for the Mocs but a fly out, followed by a strikeout once again ended the rally.
 
The Sharks came out firing in the seventh as they used five hits, two hit by pitches, a walk and an FSC error to score seven runs in the final inning to take a 9-2 lead. The Mocs were unable to take advantage of a walk in the bottom of the seventh as the Sharks hung on for the 9-2 victory.
 
Florida Southern and Nova Southeastern will be back in action tomorrow afternoon at Chris Bellotto Field as the two teams play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The Mocs will honor their six seniors in a pregame ceremony so please arrive early.
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