LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College softball team split their doubleheader with Lynn University on Friday afternoon at Chris Bellotto field, taking two of three overall games in the conference series.
After earning a closely-contested 2-1 victory in the first game of the day, the Mocs fell just short of a comeback bid in a 3-2 decision in favor of the visitors.
The Moccasins (19-20, 8-13 SSC) won their second conference series of the year while the Fighting Knights (18-23, 8-13 SSC) snapped an eight-game losing streak with their victory in the third game of the series.
Junior
Kiki Morris led the Moccasins, recording five hits over the course of the day, including a triple in the opener. Sophomore
Destiny Colgate reprised her four-RBI performance from Thursday night with another solid outing, raking in two hits with a run scored and an RBI on the day.
Senior
Mel Rogers earned her eighth win of the year with a complete game performance in the first game of the doubleheader, giving up just one run to keep the Fighting Knights at bay.
Game One - Florida Southern 2, Lynn 1
The Moccasins took an early lead as they opened the game with a pair of singles from
Jessica Bryson and
Kiki Morris. After a bunt from
Maddi Conner,
Skyler Ralstin hit a sacrifice fly to score Bryson for the game's first run.
Neither team would score until the sixth inning, as Rogers and the Moccasin defense allowed just five hits and forced the Fighting Knights to leave four runners stranded over the course of the middle innings.
Lynn would tie the game in the top of the sixth after a two-out single scored a run for the visitors, but the Mocs responded in the bottom of the frame with a clutch sequence of hits.
After Ralstin tripled with one out in the inning,
Destiny Colgate delivered another massive hit, driving a ball off the left field wall to score Ralstin with two outs in the frame for her fifth RBI of the series.
Rogers closed the door in the seventh inning, retiring the Fighting Knights in order to give the Mocs the series win with a 2-1 victory in the first game of the doubleheader.
Game Two - Lynn 3, Florida Southern 2
The second game of the doubleheader saw the Moccasins fall behind for the first time in the entire series after the Fighting Knights plated two runs in the first inning. With two outs, Lynn strung together three consecutive hits that culminated with a 2-RBI single to put the visitors ahead in the early going.
The Mocs got a run back in the bottom of the second inning after Colgate led off the frame with a walk. Senior
Kelsey Peck came up to bat moments later and slammed a ball deep into right-center field for a triple that saw Colgate round the bases to put the Mocs on the board.
Lynn re-gained a two-run lead in the top of the third after manufacturing another score with an RBI single, and the Mocs had no response for the rest of the game until the bottom of the seventh inning.
Peck led off the frame with a single which was immediately followed by another base knock from senior
Leanna Kelly to put the Mocs in position to tie the game with nobody out.
After a pitching change, the Fighting Knights gathered two quick outs, bringing Morris up to bat. The junior beat the throw to first base to advance on an infield single while scoring a run to trim the deficit to one, bringing the tying run to third base in the process.
The Fighting Knights were able to record the final out of the inning despite a close play at first to wrap up the series and take one game from the set. Despite the loss, the Mocs performed well, out-hitting Lynn 9-6 over the course of the contest.
Senior
Tiana Hernandez came on to pitch in the fourth inning and delivered four scoreless innings, giving up just two hits to keep the Mocs in the ballgame until the final out.
The Moccasins will now turn their attention to a doubleheader against Flagler College coming up on April 11 in St. Augustine, Fla. with the first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m.
