LAKELAND, Fla. – In their final nonconference doubleheader of the season, Warner University softball team split with NCAA-II Florida Southern College on Tuesday night at Barnett Field. The Lady Royals lost game one of the twin bill 9-1 in six innings then took game two 2-1 thanks to a two-out, two-run single by Melissa Costero in the top of the seventh inning.
The Lady Royals are now 13-11-1 overall with four Sun Conference series left on their 2015 schedule.
The Lady Moccasins won convincingly in game one with nine runs on 12 hits ending the game in the sixth inning.
Erika Shick (1-5) took the loss in the circle for the Lady Royals after tossing 4.2 innings with five runs allowed (two earned).
Costero drove in Warner's lone run in game one with a single down the left field line in the top of the third inning;
Jacqueline Gomez came around to score on the play. Costero finished game one 1-for-3 at the plate as the Lady Royals were held to four hits in the game by Florida Southern's Brandi Jones.
Game two featured a pitcher's duel between Warner's
Chelsie Valentine and Florida Southern's Taylor Bowen. Neither pitcher allowed a runner past second base until the fifth inning when the Lady Mocs scratched out the game's first run taking a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Royals entered the top of the seventh still trailing 1-0 but got a rally started with a
Kaitlyn Ficarrotta single to lead off the inning.
Makenzie Garcia followed with another single and the Lady Royals had two runners on with no outs.
After a sacrifice bunt from
Jessica Adams, Shick popped out and
Cynthia Micochero walked to load the bases with two outs. Costero stepped to the plate and delivered a single up the middle scoring Ficarrotta and pinch runer
Yaileen Milian to put Warner ahead for the first time 2-1.
The Lady Mocs put the tying run on third base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh but Valentine got Kim Booker to fly-out to left field ending the game 2-1 in favor of the Lady Royals.
Valentine (9-2) picked up her ninth win of the season with her fourth straight complete game performance. She scattered nine hits and allowed just the one run lowering her team-best ERA to 2.28.
At the plate in game two, Ficarrotta and
Jelisa Potter both collected two hits each. Potter was 2-for-4 and Ficarrotta went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Costero was 1-for-3 with the tying and game-winning RBIs.
On Saturday, April 11, the Lady Royals close out the home portion of their 2015 schedule with a Sun Conference doubleheader against cross-county rivals Southeastern University. The first pitch for game one is set for 1 p.m. at Daly Field.
