LAKELAND, Fla. - Florida Southern College softball opens the Sunshine State Conference series against Eckerd with a 7-6 win on Friday evening on Chris Bellotto Field.
Freshman
Shelby Savitt led the Moccasins (7-22, 2-11 SSC), going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored, followed by junior
Alissa Kessler, going 2-for-3 from the plate with an RBI and one run. In the circle,
Des Aitken (3-9) got the win, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing four earned runs on seven hits.
Eckerd got on the board early, scoring from a Moccasin error to take a 1-0 lead. Florida Southern answered back in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of three Triton errors and a walk, taking a 3-1 lead.
The Tritons closed in 3-2 on the Mocs with an RBI single in the top of second as it looked to be anyone's game.
Kate Mikle led off the bottom of the second with a double to get into scoring position early and scored from an RBI single from Kessler to double the lead to 4-2.
In the bottom of the fourth, FSC continued to put runners on as
Shelbie Valencia walked and moved into scoring position as Kessler singled to shortstop. Both runners advanced on a passed ball, putting Valencia 90 feet from home. With two outs, Savitt singled up the middle to score Valencia as the Mocs increased its lead, 5-2.
In the top of the fifth, Eckerd was able to get runners on and in scoring position with two outs, but an incredible catch from centerfielder
Gabby Young stopped the Tritons from scoring.
After a quick three up, three down in the top of the sixth,
Keira Morris led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to short, beating out the throw. Morris moved into scoring position with a stolen base and advanced to third from a ground out with just one out. FSC put runners on the corners, awaiting Savitt and
Morgan Roden, who both hit RBI singles, scoring Morris and Kessler to increase the Mocs lead to 7-2.
In the top of the seventh, Eckerd loaded the bases with no outs, looking to close in on the 7-2 deficit. Florida Southern rallied for the two outs but struggled to get the final out, allowing the Tritons to score four with a bases clearing double and RBI single up the middle to close in 7-6. A pitching change for the Mocs brought in
Amanda Lieberman facing two batters before securing the win and earning the save.
Florida Southern returns to action against Eckerd tomorrow, March 15, as they host the Tritons for an SSC doubleheader on Chris Bellotto Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
