The Pensacola State softball team traveled to Longwood, Florida this past week for the FCSAA Region 8 State Tournament. Continue reading below for individual game recaps.
PSC 0 FSW 3
On Thursday they faced no. 1 nationally ranked Florida Southwestern (FSW) in a re-match from both teams opening day this season.
Both teams were strong on the mound, but FSW proved to be a bit stronger at the plate as they pulled out a 3-0 victory.
The Pirates had their chance to score in the third inning when Lia Johnson started things with a single and eventually stole second base. With two outs Kayla Leibman put a spinner in play that glanced off the glove of the charging third baseman and Johnson who had never stopped running tried to sneak in at home, but was tagged out.
The momentum shifted to FSW in the bottom half of the inning when a Buccaneer runner tried to score from second on a ground ball up the middle, Pirate center fielder Natalie Sorensen lazered a strike to the plate, but the runner knocked the ball out of the catchers glove and two runs scored. The Bucs added one more run in the fifth inning to round out the scoring in the game.
Johnson, Leibman and Danielle de Ruiter were the only Pirates able to pick up hits in the game. Shelby Griffin started on the mound and threw 2.1 innings and only gave up three hits and two unearned runs while striking out two. Savannah Foster closed out the game and only gave up one hit and one run while striking out two.
PSC 1 IRSC 2
The Pirates returned to action on Friday versus Indian River State College in an elimination game. Unfortunately they came up short and lost a heartbreaker on the last play of the game.
Pensacola State struck first in the second inning when Natalie Sorensen drove an outside pitch over the right field fence for a solo home run.
Jensen Strickland, who got the start on the mound, and the defense held strong for six innings. In the seventh, IRSC used a couple of singles and a sacrifice bunt to put runners in scoring position with one out and the next batter singled through the infield to tie up the game. Savannah Foster entered the game to pitch and a bloop single fell into shallow right field to load the bases and the next batter popped out to Shelby Thornsberry at second base for the second out. With a 1-2 count the next batter slapped a ball that tipped off of Caitlyn Yockey's glove at third base and the winning run scored.
Sorensen, Lia Johnson and Kayla Leibman were the only Pirates to record hits in the game. Strickland threw 6.1 innings and allowed six hits and only one earned run while she struck out six.