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Moccasin Softball
LATE-INNING RALLIES DECIDE BOTH GAMES AS FLORIDA SOUTHERN SPLITS DOUBLEHEADER AT #22 SAINT LEO SAINT LEO - A four-run sixth inning lifted Florida Southern to a 4-2 win in game one, but a two-run homer by Ashley Urbanik snapped a tie in the fifth inning of game two, and gave #22 Saint Leo a 4-3 win and a doubleheader split. The Lions (23-8, 7-1) struck first in game one when Urbanik took one over the leftfield fence in the bottom of the fourth inning for her eighth home run of the season. It was Urbanik's fourth straight game with a home run, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead. As the Lions' starting pitcher, Urbanik also held Florida Southern (21-7, 2-6) to just three hits through the first five innings, but things unraveled in the top of the sixth when she hit leadoff batter Sara Lovestrand and Lovestrand stole second. A bunt single by Michelle Tatlock put runners at the corners and Lindsey Powell tied the game with a single to left. After a sacrifice bunt by Elli Howell, Natalie Lang doubled off the fence in right field, putting Florida Southern on top, 3-1. Angela Williams then doubled in Lang to make it 4-1. Heidi Grondahl's second hit of the game again put runners at first and third for Florida Southern, but the Lions got out of it when rightfielder Heather Stroud threw out Williams on a close play at the plate after a fly ball by Tori Mosley. Saint Leo got one run back in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double by Tatiana Casis and nearly tied the game when Urbanik drove Lang to the fence in leftfield. However, Lang caught the long fly on the warning track to bring the inning to a close. Brittany Minton (12-4) allowed just four hits for the Moccasins and overcame some early difficulties with the help of Mosley behind the plate and Lovestrand at shortstop. Minton worked around two first-inning walks when Mosley threw out Elysha Agen attempting to steal, and a leadoff single by Shelley Bartlett in the third was erased when Lovestrand caught a low line drive just off the dirt and turned it into a double play. Urbanik fell to 16-4 with the loss, allowing eight hits. Five of those were in the Mocs' four-run sixth inning. Game two saw the Moccasins take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a leadoff single by Lovestrand, a passed ball and RBI single by Powell. However, just as quickly, the Lions answered, scoring twice in the bottom of the first on RBI singles by Urbanik and Stephanie Discepolo. Florida Southern came back to tie the game at two in the top of the third, using hits by Lovestrand and Powell again, with the help of two Saint Leo errors. The Moccasins threatened again in the top of the fifth with hits by Tatlock and Powell, but were unable to score. The Lions then took the lead in the bottom half of the inning when Casis singled with two out and Urbanik followed with her second home run of the night, number nine of the season. Florida Southern came right back in the top of the sixth when Lang led off with a single, and came all the way around from first on a wild pickoff attempt that rolled into the rightfield corner. Williams followed that play with a single as well but was eventually stranded at third. The Mocs had another chance to tie the game in the top of the seventh when Lovestrand walked to start the inning and later swiped second. However, she too was left at third base when the inning ended. Though she started the game in right field, Urbanik ended up as the winning pitcher. She moved to the circle in relief of Kiki VonHolt in the bottom of the fifth when the Mocs had runners at first and second with two out. Urbanik ended the threat with a strikeout. Heidi Schumacher suffered the loss for Florida Southern, only her second of the season after nine wins. The teams will conclude their series with a single game on Sunday beginning at 1:00.
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