TAMPA, Fla. (Softball) - Florida Tech (10-8) conceded its first conference series loss against Tampa University (10-2) on Saturday February 25. FIT lost game one 3-2 in a nine inning nail biter followed by a game two feat 6-1.  

Overall, offensive stat leaders for the Panthers were comprised of first baseman Hailey Leonard with the leading RBI of game one generated through a double, Rachel Kraak who had a 1-for-3 performance with one RBI and Kaitlin Buchholz who ended the day collecting a double and a sac-fly which generated the only run during game two. Defensively, Florida Tech recorded 43 putouts for a fielding percentage of .934 and currently holds a yearly fielding percentage of .958 on 349 putouts. On the mound, Rachel Pence (7-5) took charge during game one for eight complete innings allowing three runs, nine hits, one walk and two strikeouts

In game one, the Panthers started off the match with a double by Leonard which allowed Vanessa Rubio to score from second and scratch the first run for the Crimson and Grey. Fellow teammate Kraak flared a single to the center field that made Leonard work her way around third and home to score the second run for FIT.

The Spartans generated their runs off a leadoff single and worked their way around the bases for a run-scoring triple coupled with consecutive sac-flys to knot the contest up at 2-2. However, with the game tied, Florida Tech could not overlap Tampa in the home halves, sending the game into extra innings.

Despite the excellent pitching and defensive efforts, the Spartans ended the game at the bottom of the ninth with two back-to-back bunts and a single up the middle.

Game two started scoreless for both dugouts but at the bottom of the fourth the Spartans opened up the score by collecting four runs. At the top of the sixth, Alexus Smith started the inning with a double down the left field line. Fellow teammate Alexis Hopkins hit a single to third base but the Panthers were unable to bring home their runners. At the top of the seventh, Buchholz hit a sac-fly to the right field allowing Amanda Khan to score. Karina Suicava then hit a single to right center but the Panthers could get any other runs across the board and eventually fell 6-1.

The Panthers continue their journey on the road for another three game series against the Eagles of Embry-Riddle. The first pitch is set for Friday, Mar. 3 at 6 p.m. ET in Daytona Beach, Fla. at the Embry-Riddle Softball Complex. For live coverage of the game, please visit https://portal.stretchinternet.com/erau/ and check out http://floridatechsports.com/ for any additional information or updates.