(Box Score) (Box Score 2)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Feb. 18, 2023) – The home plate umpire swiftly calls the looking strike on Florida National University’s Alexis Lendo to bring to an end a dramatic and thrilling 2-0 loss to the St. Thomas Bobcats (5-0). The Conquistadors (3-6) went on to lose the second game of the doubleheader to a team they know very well, falling 9-2 on STU’s opening day last week. FNU softball now stands 0-4 over the last four games as the Bobcats remain undefeated.
In game one, FNU got off to a stellar start with a base hit from second baseman Sabrina Castelli, and Ana De Oliveira Obando’s single to third left two runners in play for the visiting Conquistadors. But a quick out from the Bobcat defense kept FNU off the board.
The breakthrough moment for the Bobcats came in the fourth, as Gabriella Gilbert scored on a single from Jade Fayad toward third base. STU retired the inning with one run and three hits with three runners left on base. Things went from bad to worse for the Conquistadors, after the Bobcats secured another run off a triple down left field during the fifth.
FNU still had a chance to win the game or send it to extra innings in the seventh, with Madison Chiudina getting herself in play on a single to center field. Tara McCaffery came in as the pinch runner for Chiudina, and Jordan Bohn’s base hit got FNU runners at first and second.
But the Bobcats were able to quench FNU’s run and notched a 2-0 victory ahead of game two.
When play resumed, the game was neck-and-neck until the third inning where the Bobcats completed three runs and connected on three hits with one runner left on. McCaffery’s single at the top of the fifth, allowed pinch runner Sydni Bigelli to complete FNU’s lone run of the afternoon. FNU had four more hits over the next two innings but could not hang enough runs for a comeback.
The Conquistadors ended the game with seven hits and three errors while the Bobcats had seven hits with no errors recorded.
Up Next: FNU softball returns Feb. 28 for two road games against the Keiser Seahawks.
