TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – The Florida State softball team completed a three-game sweep over Boston College on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Eagles 7-3 behind a hot-hitting offense that recorded 14 base hits.
The Seminoles (31-13, 10-2) extended their first-place standing in the ACC after batting nearly .500 for the day, going 14-for-29 (.483) with six players producing two hits apiece. Freshmen Victoria East, Macey Cheatham and Alex Kossoff, redshirt sophomore Maddie O’Brien and seniors Kirstin Austin and Morgan Bullock each produced multiple-hit efforts to ignite Florida State’s batting order.
Over the last seven games, Florida State has raised its batting average by 12 points to reach .312 on the season. Roughly 3/4 through the season, the Seminoles are going after the school record batting average of .316 set in the 1995 season. That season was also the last time the Seminoles batted above .300.
“We had so many hitters step up today and it was great to see,” head coach Lonni Alameda said. “I’ve been proud of the way we have been thriving at the plate and executing several of our situational at-bats. Our assistant coaches Travis Wilson and Craig Snider have done an excellent job with this team and hopefully it continues down the final stretch of the season.”
Florida State finished 7-for-16 with runners on base on Sunday and went 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Junior Courtney Senas recorded her fifth triple of the season and drove in a run to bring her total to 50 RBIs for the season. She is the first Seminole to reach the 50-RBI mark since Yuruby Alicart recorded 54 in 2006.
The Seminoles’ 14 base hits also marked their 15th-double digit hitting performance of the season.
Sophomore Lacey Waldrop (16-6) got the win in relief after throwing four innings and allowing two runs on two hits with six strikeouts. Monica Perry started the game and pitched the first two innings, and redshirt junior Jessica Nori threw one scoreless inning in the seventh.
Boston College put up its first run of the series in the first inning when Alana DiMaso hammered a high fastball over the left center wall for a solo home run, making it 1-0.
In the bottom of the first, Florida State responded when Senas drove home East on an RBI triple to left center to tie the game at 1-1. Senas then made a heads-up base-running play by tagging on a foul-out at first base by Kelly Hensley that turned into a sacrifice fly, making it 2-1. Austin ended the inning with an RBI bloop single to right center to plate Bullock.
Bullock came through again in the bottom of the third when she lined a two-run single to right field with one out. Maddie O’Brien helped the scoring by doubling to left center while Hensley started the inning with a single with one out. Bullock led the Noles with two RBIs.
After Jessie Daulton led off the top of the sixth with a solo home run, Florida State responded in the bottom half when Cheatham recorded an RBI single to left field. Later, East lined a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Bailey Schinella to create a 7-2 lead.
Boston College tacked on a run in the top of the sixth when Florida State attempted to get an Eagle base runner out at second base and executed a run-down, bringing home a BC runner from third base to make it 7-3. Nori, however, closed out the game with a scoreless seventh inning to grab Florida State its 31st win of the season.
The Seminoles play a mid-week game at No. 24 South Alabama on Wednesday, April 10, in Mobile, Ala. at Jaguar Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
