JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The third-ranked Florida State softball team (32-2) earned a pair of wins over UNF (26-10) and Jacksonville (11-15) on Wednesday.
Florida State took down the Osprey 12-3 in the afternoon before capping the night with a 6-3 over the Dolphins.
FSU 12, UNF 3
A five-run first inning helped lead the Seminoles to a 12-3 win over North Florida in the first of two games on Wednesday. Florida State finished the game with a season-high 16 hits and tied a season-high with 12 runs scored.
Kaley Mudge led the game off with a single to right field. Sydney Sherrill then doubled to centerfield to put runners on second and third with no outs for Mack Leonard. Leonard made it back-to-back doubles to give the Noles an early 2-0 lead.
A walk and a ground out put runners back on second and third, this time for Jahni Kerr who hit the Seminoles' third double of the inning to score two more runs. Hallie Wacaser capped off the first inning with a single to right field, giving FSU a 5-0 lead after one inning.
Florida State put up three more runs in the second inning. Leonard’s second hit of the game scored Sherrill from second after she hit her second double of the game, it was her 70th career double. Leonard’s hit gave the Noles a 6-0 lead. After a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly to centerfield by Michaela Edenfield, FSU took a 7-0 lead into the bottom of the second inning.
UNF did punch back in the second inning, scoring three runs of their own on three hits to make it 7-3 after two innings.
Leonard’s third hit of the day made it 8-3 after four innings. Sherrill was first on base with two outs after a five-pitch walk.
The Noles would not score again until the seventh inning. FSU would score four runs in the seventh all with two outs. Kalei Harding led off the inning with a single up the middle. She would steal second and advance to third on a groundout before scoring on an Amaya Ross single through the left side of the infield.
Mudge tripled off the wall for her third hit of the game, scoring Ross and giving the Noles a 10-3 lead. The Garnet and Gold scored two more runs in the seventh inning after Leonard finished the day with her fourth hit in four at-bats and Michaela Edenfield singled to right field.
Kathryn Sandercock started the game and pitched the first 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits. Brianna Enter and Mack Leonard combined to get the last four outs of the game.
FSU 6, Jacksonville 3
The Seminoles jumped on the Dolphins early in game two of the day. The Noles scored one in the first and four in the second inning. Sydney Sherrill walked and stole second before being sent home after a Michaela Edenfield single.
Florida State put up four runs on two hits and three errors in the second inning. Brooke Blankenship singled to centerfield but a bad play on the ball by the centerfielder allowed Blankenship to advance all the way to third, scoring Jahni Kerr and Kalei Harding. Double to centerfielder allowed the Noles to make it 4-0 as Sherrill reached second base. A Mack Leonard single capped off the scoring for the Seminoles in the second inning as Sherrill rounded third and touched home to make it 5-0.
FSU made it 6-0 after one more run was scored in the third inning. Harding led off the inning by reaching second after an error by the left fielder. She then scored two pitches later after Jahni Kerr singled.
In the fourth inning, Jacksonville scored their first run of the game on a solo home run to left field by Alli Bratek. The Dolphins tacked on two more runs on three hits in the seventh inning but that was not enough as The Noles would win 6-3.
Emma Wilson started and pitched the first 3.2 innings allowing no runs. Danielle Watson entered in relief and pitched the final 3.1 innings allowing four hits and three runs.
