LAKELAND, Fla. — The Florida Southern Moccasins (7-17) faced Hillsdale College (12-9) in a doubleheader at Chris Bellotto Field, resulting in two hard-fought losses, 8–5 and 5–2.
FLORIDA SOUTHERN 5, HILLSDALE 8
In the first game, Florida Southern put up a hard-fought performance, tallying 10 hits, including two doubles and a triple. The Mocs jumped to an early lead in the first inning when
Hannah Lewis walked, advanced on a single by
Kate Mikle, and crossed home plate on a throwing error, putting Florida Southern up 1–0. Hillsdale answered in the third inning with an RBI double and a sacrifice fly, scoring twice. The Mocs quickly evened the score as Lewis doubled and came home on another single by Mikle, ending the inning tied at 2–2.
The fifth inning shifted momentum, with Hillsdale scoring five times, aided by a series of hits and an error, two of which were unearned. Florida Southern managed to add a run when
Gabby Young scored on a single from
Zoe Thornsbury, leaving Hillsdale ahead 7–3 after five. In the sixth,
Nei Nei De Jesus tripled and scored on a groundout by
Shelby Savitt.
Emma Lucchesi followed with a single and scored on a double by
Gigi Polanco. Despite these efforts, Hillsdale maintained their lead, 8–5, after six innings. The seventh inning saw no further scoring from either side, sealing Hillsdale's win at 8–5.
Polanco contributed with a double and an RBI, while Lewis scored twice, notching a double and drawing a walk. Mikle added two hits and an RBI, also getting hit by a pitch. De Jesus delivered a triple and scored once, collecting two hits in total. On the mound,
Des Aitken pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits, facing 25 batters.
Amanda Lieberman came in for relief, giving up just one run on one hit over 2 2/3 innings, maintaining a 0.45 WHIP with 20 pitches, striking 12 for strikes.
FLORIDA SOUTHERN 2, HILLSDALE 5
In game two, Florida Southern battled hard but ultimately fell to Hillsdale, 5–2. After the Chargers jumped out to an early two-run lead, the Mocs answered in the opening inning. Polanco was hit by a pitch and moved to third on a well-placed bunt by Young before scoring on a groundout from Mikle, trimming the deficit to 2–1.
The third inning saw Florida Southern narrow the deficit further. Young reached first on an error and moved up on a wild pitch. She crossed the plate thanks to another error, bringing the Mocs within striking distance. Hillsdale held a 3-2 edge by the end of the third. The sixth inning was a turning point for the Chargers, adding two more runs courtesy of Olivia Liguori's double to left center. Despite Florida Southern's efforts in their half of the inning, the score remained unchanged. Hillsdale led 5-2 after six. In the final inning, the Moccasins were unable to mount a comeback, with the game concluding at 5-2 for Hillsdale.
Polanco was a bright spot for the Mocs, reaching base twice with a hit and a walk, while also shining defensively with seven assists from shortstop.
Keira Morris stayed consistent at the plate with two hits and a walk. Lewis chipped in with a hit, a stolen base, and a walk, boosting the team's offense. Mikle also had a hit and an RBI, adding support to the lineup.
Ella Torres pitched 6 solid innings, yielding 7 hits and 4 earned runs, with one walk and no strikeouts. She faced 26 batters, throwing 56 pitches, 36 for strikes, ending with a WHIP of 1.33. Lieberman provided stellar relief in the final inning, retiring all three batters she faced on just six pitches, with two ground outs and a fly out, keeping a perfect WHIP of 0.00.
Looking ahead, the Moccasins are set to meet Eckerd on Friday, March 20, at 6 p.m. at the Turley Athletic Complex in St. Petersburg, Florida.
