After taking wins from Iowa and Samford to open the JoAnne Graf Classic, the Florida State Seminoles matched up against the Marshall Thundering Herd for two games.
Game One FSU 6-2 MARSHALL
Lineup
- SS – Isa Torres (JR)
- 2B – Marin Heller (FR)
- 3B – Jaysoni Beachum (JR)
- RF – Shelby McKenzie (SO)
- LF – Ashtyn Danley (JR)
- DP – Anna Hinde (FR)
- 1B – Hayley Griggs (FR)
- C – Bella Ruggiero (R-FR)
- CF – Makenna Sturgis (FR)
- RHP – Jazzy Francik (SO)
RECAP
1st Inning
Jazzy Francik got her second start of the weekend, after no hitting the Samford Bulldogs to open the season. Now, she entered against Marshall, only giving up one single to the Herd.
Offensively, the Seminoles went up against Pai Maynard. Isa Torres got this started with a lead off triple, and was able to cross home on a wild pitch. The bats were able to get a few more on base, but left them stranded with a 1-0 score.
4th Inning
FSU held on to a 1-0 lead going into the middle innings. Francik was able to get another strike out to begin the inning. A single, followed by a walk and error had Marshall with the bases loaded. With pressure facing Francik and the ‘Noles, a strike out and clutch defensive play from Marin Heller, kept their advantage.
The freshmen kept their weekend going, with a single from Anna Hinde. Maynard got two quick outs for her defense, before she faced Makenna Sturgis in the nine spot. Needing some padding to the score, Sturgis came up with her first career homerun, adding two runs to their lead.
Torres and Heller continued things with a bit of chaos on the bases. After a pair of singles and good base running, Heller brought her teammate home, with help from Marshall miscues.
Maynard added Jaysoni Beachum and Shelby McKenzie to the base paths, both on walks. With the bases loaded and two out, Marshall was able to escape on a ground out, but the ‘Noles grew their lead to 4-0.
5th Inning
Maynard got her first two outs before a double from Bella Ruggiero and single off the bat of Sturgis gave FSU traffic. With the lineup turning over, a fielding error from the Herd added two more runs for the ‘Noles.
6th Inning
Francik’s day came to an end after five innings, giving Bella Dimitrijevic her first appearance as a Seminole. Dimitrijevic gave up a lead off double before feeding her infield for two outs. Marshall wa able to load the bases against the new freshman pitcher, but Dimitrijevic got her first career strikeout to escape the jam.
7th Inning
Needing three outs to claim the win, Dimitrijevic retook the circle. She gave up a lead off single, but got the first out on a fielder’s choice play. However, the freshman still needed two outs and had a runner on base. A middle in pitch was too much for Sydni Burko to lay off, as she gave the Herd two runs on a homerun. Dimitrijevic capped off the game with a strikeout, pushing the ‘Noles to 3-0 on the weekend.
Game Two FSU 10-2 MARSHALL
Lineup
- SS – Isa Torres (JR)
- 2B – Marin Heller (FR)
- 3B – Jaysoni Beachum (JR)
- RF – Shelby McKenzie (SO)
- LF – Ashtyn Danley (JR)
- DP – Anna Hinde (FR)
- 1B – Hayley Griggs (FR)
- CF – Makenna Sturgis (FR)
- C – Madi Frey (SR)
- LHP – Marlee Gaskell (FR)
Recap
1st Inning
Marlee Gaskell made her Seminole debut, and led off with a strikeout. She followed it up with a single and walk, but kept Marshall off the scoreboard.
Marshall threw Jules King in the circle, facing a potent FSU lineup. Besides a pair of baserunners for the Seminoles, King kept the bats quiet in the first inning.
2nd Inning
The freshmen continued to shine, as Hayley Griggs went yard off of King. The long ball from Griggs was not only the first for her, but the first run of the second game.
King put Madi Frey and Torres on base via walks, giving Heller runners. Heller was first pitch swinging, as she drove in a run on a line drive into the outfield. The third walk of the inning loaded the bases, but a line out from McKenzie limited the damage to a 2-0 score.
3rd Inning
Back out in the 3rd, Gaskell gave up a lead off single, which was kept on the infield. FSU went to the bullpen with a runner on, opting for Ashtyn Danley. Struggling to find the zone, Danley gave up back to back hits, resulting in a run for the Herd. Two strikeouts and a ground out, Danley escaped the the jam and limited the damage to just one run.
Anna Hinde, Griggs, and Sturgis all stood on the bases, after a series of hits off of King. With only one out, a ground ball on the infield from Frey was not handled. The error on the throw home brought in two runs, extending the FSU lead to 4-1.
With two runners in scoring position for the top of the lineup, Torres drove in the pair on a line drive into left field. Now a 6-1 score, Marshall went to the bullpen for Maddie Veal. In relief, Veal struck out one and got the ground out to keep the ‘Noles from any further scoring.
5th Inning
Marshall got one run back on Burko’s second homerun of the game, this time off of Danley. Again, she struggled to find the zone, giving up back to back walks to the Herd. The second walk marked the end of Danley’s time in the circle, getting Makenna Reid out of the bullpen. In relief, the senior cleaned up, sitting down the next two batters.
A Griggs walk, followed by a one out double off the bat of Frey got the run back in the bottom of the inning. Back to back doubles from Torres and Heller grew the lead, making it 9-2 and a seven run advantage for the ‘Noles.
Heller moved to third on a ground out, bringing the second opportunity for McKenzie to walk off a game for second day in a row. A soft hit on the infield scored Heller, making it a 10-2 run rule of Marshall.
Up next
FSU will cap off the JoAnne Graf Classic by facing UCONN on Feb. 8th at 9 am on ACCNX
