VIERA, Fla. – No. 9 Florida Tech wanted to close out the second annual Florida Tech Invitational at the USSSA Space Coast Complex the right way. The women did just that as they won a wild one, 6-5, on a walkoff single.
Four Panthers recorded multihit games as
Cheyenne Nelson,
Jaden Kline,
Ashley Campbell and
Mikayla Wessel all had two.
Victoria Szrom was the sole team member to have multiple RBI with two, while, Nelson and Kline both had one. Wessel and Campbell each tallied two runs, the final two came from
Peyton Anders and
Rachel Kraak.
Jordan Lawlis was the first pitcher to take the circle for Florida Tech and she put up a solid effort as she allowed three hits and two runs, one earned, with two "Ks" in 3.1 innings.
Tina Velazquez Rolon finished out the contest and picked up the win as she put together a 3.2 inning outing that resulted in five hits and three runs allowed with one strikeout.
The Crimson & Gray found itself in an early hole as a West Alabama run in the top of the first run made it 0-1 before they even took the plate. However, the Panthers gained its first lead of the contest, in the bottom of the second, when Wessel laid down a two-out bunt that she beat out and got Campbell home. But, in the madness, Wessel went to second on the throwback to the plate and UWA's catcher tried to stop her but airmailed it to center field and that gave Wessel plenty of time to come around the final two bases and make it 2-1.
Florida Tech held on to its lead throughout the third inning but a Panther error in the fourth allowed the Tigers to tie it back up. The tie did not last long though as a Nelson double brought Kraak home in the bottom portion of the inning.
The scoring stayed 3-2 until the top of the fifth as UWA tacked on three runs and this started to make Tech sweat as it was a 3-5 ballgame.
However, the Panthers were up to the challenge as their bats came alive for the rest of the contest. The women garnered one run in each of their next three plate appearances. Szrom got the first of the three runs as she hit one deep to right field that gave Anders plenty of time to make it home safely.
Jaden Kline had a similar at-bat as Szrom in the sixth inning, as she hit one into deep foul territory and Wessel raced across the bag as soon as the UWA left fielder made the play and tied it at 5-5. The biggest play of the morning came in the bottom of the seventh as Szrom singled straight up the middle and scored Campbell from second base as Tech completed the 6-5 walkoff win.
Florida Tech will look to build on this as the team begins its Sunshine State Conference title defense Friday, Feb. 14, as they welcome Florida Southern to Melbourne. Game one of the weekend will begin at 6 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.
