Florida State University Athletics
Florida State
0-1
Charlotte
1-0
Florida State Drops Opening Game to Charlotte
2/8/2024 10:12:00 PM | Softball
Charlotte began the game with two extra base hits in the first inning to take the early lead but the Seminoles didn't wait long to respond. Leading off the top of the second, Amaya Ross worked the pitcher to a full count before drawing a walk. She stole second and up to the plate was Jaysoni Beachum for her first collegiate at-bat. Beachum made a quality first impression as she laid a single into center field, and Ross bolted for home plate for the first run of the season to tie the game up.
The lineup kept rolling as freshman Isa Torres found herself at third base after a single and moving along the base path while Kaley Mudge earned a walk to put runners at the corners. Leadoff hitter Jahni Kerr launched a ball into the left field wall and sent the two runners home to take a 3-1 lead.
Charlotte countered by loading the bases and used a single and a wild pitch to even the score up at 3-3 in the middle of the fifth.
Florida State went right back to work as Michaela Edenfield made it to first on a fielder's choice before last season's leader in doubles, Kalei Harding, hit a deep double into left that Edenfield used to sprint all the way home from first to regain the lead.
Devyn Flaherty followed suit and belted a triple through center field to send Harding home and gave the Seminoles a 5-3 lead. The 49ers hit a solo home run over center field to bring the score within one and tied the game off a bases loaded walk in the top of the seventh.
The game went into extra innings, Florida State's first opening game to go into extra frames since the 2012 walk off winner against Stephen F. Austin. The Seminoles nearly had the winning run when Kaley Mudge appeared to beat out the tag at first to allow Annie Potter to score but after review, Mudge was called out at first.
Emma Wilson made her first start in the circle since May 6, 2022, and worked through 3.0 innings before Makenna Reid took the reins and laced four strikeouts in 2.0 innings. Ashtyn Danley came in to make her collegiate debut before Wilson came back in the game and finished with a career high 6.2 innings pitched.
Florida State will face Charlotte on Friday with first pitch set for 6 p.m. and available to stream on ACC Network Extra.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: GRESS, Sam (1-0)
L: Wilson, Emma (0-1)
Batting:
2B: HOFFLER, Cori 1 ; DIRKS, London 1
3B: CHANCEY, Ella 1
HR: RODI, Arianna 1
RBI: KNIGHT, Abigail 1 ; CHANCEY, Ella 2 ; RODI, Arianna 1 ; NGUYEN, Savanna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HOFFLER, Cori 1 ; MITCHELL, Makalah 1 ; RODI, Arianna 1 ; NGUYEN, Savanna 1 ; WILLIAMS, Olivia 1 ; DIRKS, London 1
CS: RITCHIE, Teagan 1
HBP: KNIGHT, Abigail 1 ; WINTERS, Lexi 1 ; WASHINGTON, Ashleigh 1
Batting:
2B: Kerr, Jahni 1 ; Harding, Kalei 1
3B: Flaherty, Devyn 1
RBI: Kerr, Jahni 2 ; Harding, Kalei 1 ; Flaherty, Devyn 1 ; Beachum, Jaysoni 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Edenfield, Michaela 1 ; Harding, Kalei 1 ; Ross, Amaya 1 ; Torres, Isa 1 ; Belviy, Autumn 1
SB: Flaherty, Devyn 1 ; Ross, Amaya 1 ; Potter, Annie 1
