MELBOURNE, Fla. – It was a wild afternoon on the diamond as the Panthers split the doubleheader and won the series two games to one. The first game ended with a six-run bottom of the seventh for Tech in which a three-run walk-off homerun won it, 7-4, while the second game ended, 3-5, in favor of Lynn.
Cheyenne Nelson and
Tina Velazquez Rolon led Florida Tech at the plate as both went 4-7 while
Victoria Szrom and
Mikayla Wessel were the other two with multiples hits as they had three and two, respectively. Nelson had the most runs on the team with three, plus Wessel and Szrom had two apiece.
Four Panthers recorded RBI as Velazquez Rolon and Szrom had three. The duo of
Vanessa Rubio and
Whitney Ellis had two each.
Jordan Lawlis and
Raychel Trocki both got a start. Lawlis was the first one out in game one and she went 3.1 innings and allowed four runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Trocki lasted 1.1 innings in the second game, during her time in the circle she surrendered five runs, three earned, on three hits and struck out one Lynn batter.
Velazquez Rolon came in as the reliever for both contests and she tallied 9.1 innings of work. She was lights out as she gave up no runs on only four hits and had seven strikeouts. She also picked up the win in game one.
The Crimson & Gray opened the game strong as a Velazquez Rolon RBI double made it 1-0 in the top of the first. However, the next four runs were all for the Fighting Knights and this 1-4 score held all the way to the bottom of the seventh. Then the floodgates opened as Florida Tech scored six runs that won the game.
The first of the six came off the Ellis' bat as she hit her first homerun in her Panthers' career. A few batters later a Velazquez Rolon single deep to right field scored Nelson and Wessel to tie the game at 4-4.
The biggest and most memorable at-bat of the day came when Szrom took to the plate and with a 3-2 count with two outs in the bottom of the seventh hit a walk-off homerun to win the game, 7-4.
Game two had a very different feel as Tech came out flat and this allowed five Lynn runs to cross the plate between the first two innings. This deficit woke the team up as in the bottom half of the second, an Ellis sacrifice fly scored Szrom.
In the Crimson & Gray's next turn at the plate, Rubio sent one through the left side that got both Nelson and Wessel home. This closed the gap to 3-5 but neither team scored another run as the final four inning belonged to the pitchers.
Florida Tech will now turn its sights to getting above .500 for the first time in the 2020 season when they welcome Tiffin to Nancy Bottge Field Thursday, March 5, for a doubleheader. First pitch will take place at 4 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.
