TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) — The No. 16 Florida State softball team (12-4) took game one against No. 2 Arizona (13-2), 4-2, on Thursday night. The Seminoles have now won three of the last four against the Wildcats.
Kathryn Sandercock started and pitched her third complete game of the season for the Noles in the circle as she allowed seven hits and two runs with four strikeouts. She improved to 6-1 on the season with two wins over top-5 teams.
Florida State came out of the gates swinging, scoring three runs in the first inning. Elizabeth Mason led off for the Noles with a double down the right-field line. She scored on the next at-bat as Devyn Flaherty blasted a single up the middle. Sydney Sherrill then walked bringing up freshman Kalei Harding. She hit her fifth double of the season to left-center scoring Flaherty and Sherrill giving the Noles an early 3-0 advantage.
Arizona got one run back in the third inning. Allie Skaggs singled to second base before advancing to second on a throwing error. Two batters later she scored after Alyssa Palomino hit a ball to first resulting in an out.
The Wildcats put up one more run in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Dejah Mulipola to left-center field, cutting the Seminole lead to one.
Anna Shelnutt put the Noles on the board for the first time since the first inning in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff solo home run to left field, putting the game out of reach.
Arizona got the leadoff runner on in the seventh inning but Florida State turned its 12th double play of the season before getting a fly out to center to end the game.
From Head Coach Lonni Alameda:
“From the start, Kat did a great job in the circle. We made some great defensive plays today. We were in the right spot and talking good on the field. We also set the tone swinging it tonight. Everyone had really good at-bats. Anna had a big home run to swing it and Kalei Harding as a freshman has been swinging it well. Elizabeth Mason has been stellar in the leadoff spot giving us quality at-bats. Each piece is starting to come together and they are having a lot of fun with it. That is really cool to see.”
Florida State and Arizona play game two of the series Friday at 6 p.m. on ACCNX.
