STAFF REPORTS
news@allwnynews.com
The Florida State softball team, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, scored in five of the six innings played and held Canisius to a season-low two hits, as the Seminoles defeated the Golden Griffins 9-1 in 6 innings Wednesday in Fort Myers, Florida. In the Griffs’ second game of the day, host FGCU scored a 2-1 win in nine innings thanks to a walk-off single to home-half of the ninth. Canisius is now 9-11 on the year.
In the first game, Florida State scored five times in the first three innings to earn a 5-0 lead. In the fourth, Canisius scored its lone run in the losing effort on an RBI-single by sophomore Lauren Castro. However, that would be the only run the Griffs’ would score in the loss, as the Seminoles would end up scoring four more runs over the next three frames to post the mercy-rule victory.
In the nightcap, a base hit by FGCU pinch-hitter Bree Tourtillott sealed the victory for the host Eagles, which improved to 14-11 on the year. Canisius got on the board first with an RBI-single by sophomore Denver Keller, but FGCU would knot the game at 1-1 in the fifth. In the ninth, the Eagles led off the frame with a base hit, and that runner advanced to second on a wild pitch and then third on a sacrifice-bunt, setting up the game-winning base-knock for Tourtillott.
Canisius had eight hits in the loss, with Keller going 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI. Freshman Chelsea Czapkowski added two hits to the Griffs’ effort, while fellow freshman Ashley Barnett had a hit and a run scored.
Canisius will return to action with a pair of games Friday on the first day of the Battle of the Beach in Fort Myers, Fla. Canisius is scheduled to play Cleveland State at 11 a.m, before taking on Iowa State at 3:45 p.m.
