The Florida Tech softball team was able to salvage one game on Saturday against No. 13 Tampa winning game two 3-2, after dropping game one 13-8.
Tampa (11-5, 5-1 SSC) won two of the three games on the weekend, winning Friday night, 3-1. They would get off to a good start on Saturday in game one against Panthers starter Kelsie Rivers.
Rivers struggled and gave up two runs early in the second inning before being relieved by Samantha Guider. She gave up a single to Mariah Galhouse to make it 3-0. The big blow came later in the inning with Corynn Miner hitting a three-run home run. The Spartans would add another run to cap off a seven-run second that saw 11 hitters come to the plate.
Guider got credit for ⅓ of an inning, allowing four hits and three earned runs. She gave way to Allison Platon to start the third inning. Miner would extend the Spartans’ lead in the top of the fourth with a sac fly.
The Panthers would start chipping away in the bottom of the fifth after Miner gave way to Kate DeSimone in the circle to start the inning. Cheyenne Nelson singled, Mikayla Lewin was hit by a pitch and Ella Chang Gibson walked to load the bases. Alex Hendrian’s sac fly made it 8-1 and a three-run home run to right field by Jolie Miracle quickly cut the Tampa lead in half, 8-4.
Tampa answered with four runs in the top of the sixth, highlighted by Lauren Fantone’s two-run double. Just like that, it was 12-4.
Florida Tech was not done, as they pushed four more across in the bottom of the sixth. Mikayla Wessel singled and came home on a double by Nelson to make it 12-5. An error led to another run and a pitching change. After Hendrian walked to load the bases, Miracle came to the plate and smacked a two-run single to make it 12-8.
Tampa would add a run in the seventh and win game one 13-8.
For more info: Tampa @ Florida Tech Box Score (Game 1)
The Panthers did have 13 hits in the game. Led by Nelson who went 4-for-5 with an RBI. Miracle was 3-for-3 with five RBIs, with her big three-run home run. Wessel finished 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Game two went the way of the Panthers with Hendrian (8-6) getting the start. She would throw a complete-game five-hitter, walking five and striking out four. She threw 118 pitches.
Miner was a thorn in the Panthers’ side again in this one as she hit her second home run of the day and third of the weekend in the top of the first, allowing Tampa to jump out to a 2-0 lead.
The Panthers (11-7, 3-3 SSC) would get one back in the bottom of the inning. Nelson walked and Lewin and French hit consecutive singles to load the bases. Gibson’s infield single brought Miracle home with the first run for Florida Tech.
A run in the second would tie things up. Ashley Campbell drew a walk and would later scamper home on a single off the bat of Nelson.
The eventual winning run was scored in the Panthers’ half of the fourth. Wessel reached on an error and stole second. She was sacrificed to third by Nelson and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Miracle. It was the third run for the Panthers and the sixth RBI for Miracle on the day.
Hendrian would allow a hit in the sixth and she walked a couple in the seventh, but she was able to keep Tampa from finding that tying run.
For more info: Tampa @ Florida Tech Box Score (Game 2)
Wessel, Gibson, and Hendrian all had two hits each for the Panthers, who had 11 hits in game two and 24 in the doubleheader.
Florida Tech will host Wilmington University in a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon. Gane one will get underway at 4:00 p.m.