FGCU Softball @ UNF Recap

 The FGCU softball team (26-16, 11-3 A-SUN) took two games from UNF (22-19, 4-10 A-SUN) Saturday afternoon, edging the Ospreys 4-3 in game one, followed by a 6-3 score in game two at the UNF Softball Complex.

"Today we played two solid softball games. Marissa [Mesiemore] and Riley [Randolph] did a good job of containing their bats," said head coach David Deiros. "We made all the routine plays and a couple of special ones along the way. More importantly, we swung the bats well and put pressure on them in every inning. We scored 10 runs today altogether but we probably left another 20 on base."

FGCU 4 | UNF 3
Without a score through three frames, FGCU finally got on the board producing two runs on one hit along with a pair of errors in the fourth. Two straight errors put senior Brooke Clemens and junior Mikenzie Vaughn on. Freshman Ashley Hayes, who ran for Clemens, swiped third to put runners in scoring position. Two batters later, Sammi Poehlman hit a chopper to third for the first run as freshman McKenna Batterton smacked a single to center for the 2-0 lead.

UNF responded with a run in its half but the Eagles added the insurance in the sixth. Sophomore Farley Callaghan started the frame with a walk and a stolen base for FGCU. One batter later, Batterton singled to center to put Eagles on the corners. Senior Kate Kelly then dug in and cleared the bags with a double to right.

The Ospreys brought it to with one scoring two in the bottom of the sixth but senior starting pitcher Riley Randolph thwarted any chance of a comeback striking out two in the seventh, followed by a 5-3 putout for the final. She scattered just three hits, struck out 10 batters (eighth time this year she's reached the double-digit mark) while walking just two as she moved to 16-7.

Kelly capped off game one going 2-for-4 along with two RBI.

FGCU 6 | UNF 3
The Eagles kicked off the scoring in the third using a UNF error. With two away, sophomore Haley Morrell and senior Racquel Fournet provided back-to-back singles as freshman Reedy Davenport knocked another single to second that got away from the centerfielder, allowing Morrell to score.

FGCU pushed three more across the very next frame. With the bases loaded on three singles and one out, Kelly cracked one through the right side scoring Vaughn. Two batters later, Fournet laced one to the opposite side in left pushing two more across.

Ahead 4-0, FGCU tallied two in the seventh off two hits. Facing two out, sophomore Taylor Bauman  brought home Callaghan and Vaughn with a double to left field. UNF didn't go away quietly though as starting sophomore pitcher Marissa Mesiemore was pulled with the bases loaded. She would get charged with the three runs off a double from Randolph as a pop fly to left capped off game two.

Mesiemore moves to 9-4 on this season, yielding just three hits in her six innings. Fournet and Bauman finished 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Up Next:
FGCU returns home to face Stetson (15-24, 4-8 A-SUN) next Saturday-Sunday, Apr. 27-28. Sunday's game will be Senior Day as FGCU will recognize its five seniors prior to the 1 p.m. start time.