VIERA, Fla. – Florida Tech softball closes out another perfect weekend as the team picked up two more wins to go 5-0 in the Florida Tech Invitational. The Panthers breezed past the Flagler Saints, 6-1 and scrapped one out, 6-5, against Georgia College.
Tina Velazquez Rolon (5-0) hit the rubber for the first time this weekend in game one against Flagler. The standout transfers put together a great performance as she limited the Saints to one run in seven hits with four strikeouts in a complete game effort.
The game started off as a pitcher's duel as neither team found themselves on the board until a
Shanysse Emerenciana inside-the-park home run, her second of the tournament, gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
The wonder twins then combined for the next run, in the bottom of the fifth, as a
Xiarysse Emerenciana single to center field scored Shanysse. Then in the very next at-bat, Velazquez Rolon hit a three-run dinger over the right field fence, her third of the season, which made the score 5-0.
Tech's final run of the night came off a mistake by Flagler's pitcher as she pegged Xiarysee while the bases were loaded which pushed her sister, Shanysse, across the bag for her third run of the night. This made the tally 6-0 as the game headed into the final inning of play.
The Saints battled in the top of the seventh and managed to avoid the shutout as they had one come across that plate which brought the final score to 6-1.
Melanie Murphy (6-2) was called upon for the third time and she delivered another solid complete game for the Crimson and Gray. The senior ace surrendered five runs on nine hits and struck out three against a tough Georgia College team.
The Panthers found themselves in a familiar position as the team took the lead early thanks to three runs scored in the bottom of the first inning as two separate Bobcats error allowed
Cheyenne Nelson and Velazquez Rolon to cross the plate. This was followed by an
Alexus Smith sacrifice fly that brought
Vanessa Rubio home.
Georgia College struck back though in its next turn at the plate as they scored two runs off a double in the top half of the second. But, Florida Tech responded in the bottom half of the inning as Xiarysse tacked on another RBI to her impressive resume thanks to a single to right center that allowed Lexi Betterman to tout across home plate which gave the team a 4-2 advantage.
The Crimson and Gray tacked on two more runs with one in the third courtesy of S. Emerenciana and one in the fifth thanks to another sac fly by Smith. This put the score at 6-1 and it would stay that way until the bottom of the seventh.
The final half inning was too close for comfort for Florida Tech as Georgia College began a major rally that brought them within one run of tying up the game. However, Murphy showed why she was picked as a preseason All-American as she did not let the pressure get the best of her and closed out the game. This left the final score at 6-5.
The Panthers will enjoy their stellar weekend for a little while but will soon turn their sights to their first home Sunshine State Conference series of the year as they welcome Saint Leo to Nancy Bottge Field. Game one is scheduled for Friday, March 1, and will begin at 2 p.m. ET.
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.
