BOCA RATON, Fla. - Lynn University's softball team took the three-game Sunshine State Conference series with Florida tech with a 3-1 victory in the opener of a doubleheader Saturday morning at the McCusker Sports Complex. The Fighting Knights dropped the second game 13-4 and improve to 9-32 overall and 4-11 in the SSC. The Panthers fall to 22-17 and 7-8 in league play.
Katrina Lavadan drove in the winning runs for Lynn in game one with a double to left center just after Brittany Gross' infield single tied the game in the fifth. Jordan Angel re-started the rally with a two-out double to left center. After Megan Mayfield drew a walk to put runners on first and second, Gross lined a shot off the pitcher which scored Angel who did not stop rounding third. Lavadan then laced a shot off the glove of a ranging left fielder for a two-base knock to drive in Mayfield and Gross.
Callie Darlin (5-17) recorded her second-straight win allowing just one run on eight hits and fanning two. Brianna Barth received the loss for Florida Tech allowing three earned runs on seven hits in six innings of work.
Mandi Brown's four RBIs were not enough as the Fighting Knights dropped game two. Down 2-0 after the top of the first, Lynn got one back as Brown's fly ball to center field scored Gross from third. Gross singled and stole her 30th career base to lead off the game and reached third on Lavadan's groundout.
The Panthers would get four runs in both the second and fourth innings and another in the fifth giving them an 11-1 lead. The ten-run deficit did not hinder the Knights as Mandi Brown drilled a three-run home run down the left field line for her second home run of the season.
Brown's blast cut the lead to 11-4 but Florida Tech scored two in the sixth and did not allow Lynn to score allowing the game to finish after six innings.
Gross, who is now one steal away from Lynn's career stolen base record held by Kathleen Smith, was one of four players to record two base hits in the twinbill for the Blue & White. Anne Marie Van Casteren had a hit in each game while Cook and Darlin had a pair of hits in the first and second game, respectively.
LU is back in action on Friday, April 15 when they travel to Eckerd for a three-game conference series. Friday's meeting with the Tritons will begin at 7 pm while Saturday's doubleheader starts at 1 pm. Fans can follow the action by logging onto www.LynnFightingKnights.com and clicking on "Game Central."
