ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The Florida Tech softball team lost heartbreakers to Flagler, 8-6 and 5-4, on Tuesday night. However, three freshmen hit a huge milestone, knocking their first career home runs. The senior, Celeste Casillas, did not let the freshman have all the fun, blasting two in one game.
GAME ONE:
STATS OF THE GAME:
Final: Florida Tech 6, Flagler 8
Records: Florida Tech (5-8, 1-2 SSC) | Florida Tech (7-4, 0-0 PBC)
Location: Flagler Field | St. Augustine, Fla.
STATS OF THE GAME:
- The top of the Panthers lineup stayed patient, walking twice, but did not produce a run in the first inning.
- Flagler took an early lead in the bottom of the first. A leadoff double and single to left field put the Saints up 1-0.
- Tech responded quickly by tying the game at one apiece in the second. Hailey Mix and Jillian Moeller led off with singles, then after a hit by pitch loading the bases, Malaya Nelson placed a ball in right field for the Panther's first run of the afternoon.
- Alex Hendrian, in the circle, handled business with a 1-2-3 inning, adding a strikeout.
- Casillas made a massive impact on the game, starting with a bomb to straightaway center for the Panthers' 2-1 lead in the third.
- The Saints bounced back with a three-run bottom of the third. The first run came from a sacrifice fly ball, and the other two by a Hannah Smith dinger.
- Flagler's 4-2 edge did not last long because Casillas returned the plate with more to prove. After singles from Nelson and Chloe Fariello, the senior from Hayward, California, drilled a ball over the left field fence.
- In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Saints once again tied the game at 5-5.
- Nelson broke the tie in the top of the sixth, blasting a solo shot to center field for the first of her young career.
- Hendrian held Flagler off the scoreboard in the sixth but would let up a walk off home run in the bottom of the seventh.
GAME TWO:
STATS OF THE GAME:
Final: Florida Tech 4, Flagler 5
Records: Florida Tech (5-9, 1-2 SSC) | Flagler (8-4, 0-0 PBC)
Location: Flagler Field | St. Augustine, Fla.
STATS OF THE GAME:
- Besides a walk from Casillas and a leadoff single for Flagler, neither team saw success in the first inning.
- However, Tech blew the game open on a Brooklyn Lorenzo two-run shot and a Julianna Hynes solo blast in the second inning, taking a 3-0 lead.
- Slowly, the Saints got back in the game, crossing the plate once in the second and third innings.
- Flagler punched back in the fourth, grabbing a 5-3 advantage on a three-run home run off the bat of Emily Ricci
- Tech drew within one when Mix singled up the middle in the fifth, scoring Ella Niles, who also singled and advanced to third, stealing second and tagging on a fly out.
- Fariello stepped up in a huge way, coming into the pitch. She kept the Panthers alive by not allowing a run in the final two innings, sitting down all six batters she faced, including two strikeouts.
- Despite the first two batters getting out, the Panthers fought in the bottom of the seventh. Fariello recorded a hit, and Casillas got on because of a hit-by-pitch. Miranda Schwartz put a tough ball in play, but Casillas was ruled out for running to second.
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
- Celeste Casillas went 2-for-4, hitting two home runs and bringing in a team-high four RBI.
- Freshmen Brooklyn Lorenzo, Julianna Hynes, and Malaya Nelson hit home runs. Hynes and Nelson tallied their first career moon shots.
- Nelson also went 4-for-6 with two runs and two RBI. She went a perfect 3-for-3 in the first game.
- Hailey Mix recorded her first multi-hit game of the season.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- The Panthers are 18-19 against the Saints and 5-11 in St. Augustine.
- Casillas is the first Panther since Mikala Lewin in 2022 to have a multi-homer game.
- Hendrian's complete game in the opening game of the doubleheader put her in the program's top-10.
UP NEXT: The Panthers remain on the road, stopping next in Lakeland for an SSC series against Florida Southern. The series' first game is set to begin Friday, Florida Southern at 7 pm.
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