VIERA, Fla. - On a breezy Saturday afternoon, No. 14 Florida Tech (13-2) wrapped up Day Two of the Florida Tech Invitational with two wins at the Space Coast Complex. The afternoon was highlight by a historic feat in the team's first game of the day as
Melanie Murphy tossed a perfect game against No. 3 North Georgia (13-5) as the Panthers' won 3-0 score. The women followed that up with a dominant 8-2 victory over the Converse College Valkyries (3-11).
In the circle, Murphy (5-2) recorded her first collegiate perfect game as she sat down all 21 batters she faced. During the seven innings, she tallied five strikeouts in her masterful performance in the circle.
In the box, the twins Xiarysse and
Shanysse Emerenciana led the FIT lineup collecting two and three RBI respectively. Shanysse recorded her second home run of the season with one of the inside-the-park variety. Pitching in with three RBI of her own, senior
Alexus Smith ended the day going three-for-three at the plate.
During the first game of the day, Florida Tech broke through in the first inning when senior,
Vanessa Rubio, drove in
Xiarysse Emerenciana for the first Crimson and Gray run. Veteran,
Ally Carver, followed up as she singled through the right side to allow Velazquez to reach home safe. With one out on the scoreboard,
Alexus Smith blasted a single to right field which drove home Rubio as the score went to 3-0.
For the remainder of the game, it was a pitching duel as both pitchers dominated their opposition and the held score at 3-0 till the end.
When the game hit the top of the seventh an aura of intense intrigue fell over the stadium as everyone was wondering if they would witness the elusive perfect game. While Murphy delivered as she flawlessly clutched the win for Florida Tech with two quick putouts and a strikeout to seal the amazing feat.
Jordan Lawlis (4-0) took the mound for the second game of the day as her and the team battled Converse College. During her complete game, she allowed one run on five hits and struck out seven of the 30 batters she faced.
The Panthers took the lead early again as a single by Smith brought in the first run for Tech in the bottom of the second. Then,
Shanysse Emerenciana blasted a shot to deep center field that resulted in a three-run inside-the-park home run that put the score at 4-0.
The Florida Tech lineup was on a roll as
Cheyenne Nelson tripled to the deep left center and then scored in the following at-bat thanks to a
Xiarysse Emerenciana single up the middle. At the end of the second inning, the score was 5-0 in favor of the Panthers
Entering the bottom of the third leading by five, Smith increased the Panthers lead as the senior third baseman singled to right center that drove in a run. After shutting down the Valkyries in the top of the fourth, X. Emerenciana tacked on another RBI to her stat line which made it a 7-0 game.
However, Converse got on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth, as the Valkyries posted its first run of the night. In the bottom of the sixth, the Panthers extended the lead back out to seven runs.
Converse was the last to tack on a run as they scored in the top half of the seventh but it was not enough to spark a run as Tech's defense closed out the game with the final tally at 8-2.
The Crimson and Gray will conclude the Florida Tech Invitational Sunday, Feb. 24, with games against Flagler College at 10 a.m. ET and the rescheduled Georgia College showdown at 12:30 p.m. at the USSSA Space Coast Complex.
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech softball team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
