Softball Closes Sunshine Classic with Two Sunday Losses
3/17/2013 8:54:43 PM | Softball
BOX SCORE (GAME ONE) | BOX SCORE (GAME TWO)
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. – Georgia Southern Softball finished the 2013 FSU Sunshine Classic with a pair of losses to Minnesota and Florida State on St. Patrick’s Day at Dr. JoAnne Graf Field. The Eagles dropped the opener 7-1, but fell to FSU by a 12-3 margin in five innings to close the tournament which was won by the Gophers. GSU continues a spring break road trip this week with games at LSU on Tuesday evening.
The Eagles fall to 14-14 on the year while the Gophers move to 23-9 and FSU improves to 16-9 in 2013.
– GAME ONE –
For the second-straight day, early runs by Minnesota gave the Golden Gophers an early lead that would not be relinquished. The Gophers played small ball to score the opening run, but a home run by the next batter made the Minnesota advantage 2-0.
The Eagles put runners on second and third in the fourth inning, but stranded both. A leadoff single by Tallahassee native A.J. Hamilton to open the fifth chased Minnesota’s starting pitcher, but once again the Eagles would strand runners on base.
In the bottom of the fifth, Minnesota scored three runs to go up 5-0. Tabby Douberley, however, got the Eagles off the mark in the top of the sixth with a solo home run off the scoreboard in centerfield, her fourth of the season.
Minnesota scored two more in the bottom of the sixth to take the 7-1 win.
– GAME TWO –
Florida State took the second game of the day with a 12-3 victory after the Eagles cut the lead to two in the third inning. It was a pair of doubles with runners in scoring position that cashed in the runs for Georgia Southern.
Five runs in the first two frames put the Seminoles up early, but the Eagles kept their nose to the grindstone and battled back into the game an inning later. A walk, followed by a fielding error opened the door for Shelby Morrill to rip a double to the gap to score two runs. Tabby Douberley followed suit a few pitches later with a double to the gap in left to plate Morrill and cut the lead to 5-3.
FSU answered back in the bottom of the third with two unearned runs to push the lead back to 7-3. A five-run fifth inning which was capped by a three-run home run gave FSU the 12-3 run-rule victory after five innings.
The Eagles will venture further west to face LSU on Tuesday evening in Baton Rouge. The doubleheader starts at 6 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (CT) with game one being televised by Cox Sports Television. The channel is available on Cox Cable in Middle Georgia and on Dish Network.
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