(Box Score) (Box Score 2)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (March 22, 2023) – Florida National University’s softball team neared a series sweep versus the Keiser Seahawks Saturday after splitting a noon doubleheader. FNU came out swinging in the opener with a dominant 12-5 victory that included 14 hits and one error. The Seahawks avoided the sweep on a thrilling 6-5 win in eight innings.
Game one saw FNU get on the board first as Megen Johnson advanced to third on a wild pitch and made it home for the opening score. Keiser evened up the score at the bottom of the frame on a single, before Tara McCaffery was pushed into home in the second on an error committed by the Seahawks’ second baseman.
In the third, the Conquistadors routed the competition with five runs and four hits before retiring the frame. Janessa Esquibel and Johnson scored on a single to center field from Ana De Oliveira Obando. McCaffery, Bailey Fernandez and De Oliveira Obando scored one run a piece for a 7-3 FNU lead.
The Conquistadors would score five more runs in the contest, as pitcher Dakota Kulis got the win with two strikeouts and just two walks in four innings of play. Johnson had a team-high four runs and three hits.
In game two, Keiser jumped to a 2-0 lead after a two-run, four-hit opening inning. But FNU got its mojo back in the second, as Madison Chiudina scored on a single from McCaffery. Danika Lagodzinski ran in another score on a Sabrina Castelli single to shortstop. A single from Esquibel topped off a four-run, four-hit inning as McCaffery slid into home.
Alexis Lendo secured a 5-2 FNU lead in the fourth on a sacrifice bunt from Johnson. But Keiser stormed back with three runs over the final four innings as FNU seemed to lose the momentum down the stretch.
After forcing its way into a game-defining eighth inning, the Seahawks got the win with an RBI single up the middle. Keiser now stands 3-1 versus FNU this season, as FNU claimed victories in the first three matchups.
Up Next: Softball faces No. 17 Southeastern on the road March 31.
