Courtesy of Florida Atlantic Athletics
Florida Atlantic University’s softball team earned a 1-0 win over Tulsa and a 9-1 victory against Michigan State, on Friday night to kick off the first day of the FAU Strike Out Cancer tournament.
To start off the game against Tulsa, Lindsey Shell laid down a perfect bunt to the pitcher but was left stranded in the bottom of the first inning. Hits also came from Christina Martinez in the third, Alex Miller in the fourth, and a single through the right side by Carnesha Thompson in the sixth.
With Thompson on at first in the bottom of the sixth, Emily Lochten laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Thompson to second. Thompson then advanced to third on interference by the Tulsa shortstop. Melissa Martinez’s groundout to the third baseman would score Thompson and earn her an RBI.
In the team’s 1-0 win, Amanda Wilson threw a complete game with five strikeouts, one walk and only four hits.
The bats were on fire for the Owls in their 9-1 defeat of Michigan State with five players putting up hits. Although MSU struck first in the bottom of the first inning off a homerun by Sarah Gutkneckt.
FAU was stagnant until the fourth inning which began with a walk for third baseman Thompson. Lochten laid down a bunt to advance Thompson and reached second on an error by MSU’s third baseman. Veteran Melissa Martinez then reached first and advanced to second on a fielding error by the shortstop. Thompson would score on the throw intended to get Melissa Martinez out, and Lochten advanced to third and went on to score off a bad throw from second base to the catcher. Laura Mann then hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Melissa Martinez. The inning ended with FAU up 4-1.
The Owls scored on run in the fifth after Shell doubled to left field and was driven in by a fielding error off of a Christina Martinez ball. The Golden Hurricanes gave the Owls a scare when they loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth but pitcher Kylee Hanson struck out three batters in a row with bases loaded to end the inning.
To begin the seventh, Miller saw her first hit of the game in a single to second base. Sarah Howell came in to pinch run for Miller. Delaney Rickey walked, and Shell had her second bunt of the night, and second hit in this game, to load the bases. Christina Martinez then hit a single to right field to bring in Howell and Rickey. MSU then saw multiple errors that resulted in FAU runs. Christina Martinez stole second. Thompson reached first on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second as the pitcher made a bad throw to the catcher to score both Shell and Christina Martinez. A pass ball moved Thompson to third and she went on to score off a fielding error by the first basemen off a ball hit by Melissa Martinez.
Tatum Buckley would take over for Hanson in the circle in the bottom of the seventh. She had one strikeout and did not give up any hits or walks. Hanson earned her second win of the season, and had 13 strikeouts, three walks, and only gave up four hits. The Owls would finish up 9-1 over the Golden Hurricanes.
