Florida Tech Softball Splits Doubleheader, Takes Series

By  //  March 1, 2015

Florida Tech Softball (16-4, 2-1 SSC)

Florida-Tech-softball-580-1
With Mother Nature held at bay, Florida Tech Softball and No. 22 Tampa split their doubleheader Sunday at Naimoli Family Stadium, giving the Panthers the 2-1 series win. (Photo by Amanda Stratford Photography)

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – With Mother Nature held at bay, Florida Tech Softball (16-4, 2-1 SSC) and No. 22 Tampa (9-5, 1-2 SSC) split their doubleheader Sunday at Naimoli Family Stadium, giving the Panthers the 2-1 series win.

The Panthers jumped on Spartan ace Julia Morrow early in game one and didn’t let up on the Spartans, scoring five runs in the second and six more in the third en route to an 11-0 victory in five innings.

The last time Tampa lost a game via the eight-run rule was on April 10, 2010 by then No. 10 Rollins. The final score was 8-0 in five innings.

After Nicole Shinsky singled home Taylor Peterson for the game’s first run, Brigit Godfrey opened things up with a bases-loaded triple into the hole in right-center.

Elaine Brown
Elaine Brown

Elaine Brown brought Godfrey home with a looping double down the right field line to wrap up scoring for FIT in the second.

With a comfortable lead in hand, the Panthers really opened things up in the third. Peterson, Nicole Miller, Elizabeth Eby, Jessica Callahan, Ashley Montion and Brown all crossed the plate as the Panthers batted around in the inning.

Miller, Eby, Hailey Leonard and Peterson all registered a run batted in in the third, while Montion snagged a pair of RBIs.

In total, the Panthers scored nine runs off of Morrow, who was last season’s Division II leader with a 0.72 earned run average.

Jennie Sittloh came on in relief and surrendered the other two runs.

Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith

Taylor Smith garnered the win, improving her record to 6-2 on the year.

The graduate student pitched all five innings, giving up just three hits and fanning four Spartans.

With Morrow returning for her third start of the series, the Spartans got some vengeance in the second game. The senior returned to form with two runs allowed and Tampa tagged the Panthers for six runs to snag the win.

After grabbing an unearned run in the second inning, the Spartans put together a four-run inning off of starter Rachel Pence.

FIT gained a little momentum and cut into the deficit in the sixth. Brown did her usual thing and legged out an infield single, taking second when nobody covered the bag.

Peterson singled to bring the speedy junior home and Shinsky followed up with a double to deep left field to plate the player affectionately known by her teammates as “Recruit.”

Following the inning, the Panthers had cut the Tampa lead to 6-2.

Florida Tech Uses 7th Inning To Lock Up VictoryRelated Story:
Florida Tech Uses 7th Inning To Lock Up Victory

However, the Spartans killed any momentum that had been gained with another run in the bottom half of the sixth and Morrow closed out the game with a trio of swinging strikeouts.

FIT will return to action with a two-game slate on March 7 at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida.

The Panthers will play St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.) at 1 p.m. ET before taking on Saginaw Valley State at 3 p.m.