LAKELAND, Fla. – No. 5 softball looked to not only beat Florida Southern but the weather as a second schedule change of the weekend moved the series' final game up to 10 a.m. ET. It was a close game but the Panthers grabbed the 3-2 win to secure their second straight season sweep of the Mocs and second in a row in Sunshine State Conference play.
 
Three members of the Crimson and Gray recorded multiple hits as Tori Szrom, Melinda Rule and Mikayla Wessel all went 2-3.
 
Melanie Murphy began the day in the pitching circle but was replaced by Jordan Lawlis in the fourth inning. Murphy during her three complete innings struggled as she allowed two runs and six hits. Lawlis was phenomenal in relief as she only surrendered no runs and only four hits with three strikeouts through the final four innings.
 
Florida Southern was the first team on the board as the Mocs recorded a run in the bottom of the second inning. However, Tech tied it up in the next half inning off a Jaden Kline single up the middle that got Mikayla Wessel across the plate.
 
FSC grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the fourth as a bases-loaded single scored one. But again the lead did not stand for long as a Vanessa Rubio's solo dinger, her second of the season, made it 2-2.
 
This score held till the top of the seventh when Melinda Rule hit a ball in the right-center gap that allowed Katrina Hand to cross home plate. This made it 3-2 as the game went into the final half inning. The Panthers closed out the game as the team shut down the Mocs to grab the one-run win.
 
Florida Tech begins its final series of the regular season Thursday, April 25, when the team invites Eckerd to Nancy Bottge Field for a Day One doubleheader which starts at 3 p.m. ET.
 
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