DeLand, Fla. ? Senior pitcher Erica Demers (Miami, Fla.) and junior pitcher Amanda Lindsey (Byhalia, Miss.) each hurled shutouts while sophomore right fielder Rachel Lowe (Okeechobee, Fla.) hit her first career home run and notched five RBI to lead the Stetson softball team (3-1) to a pair of victories on Saturday in the Stetson Leadoff Classic at Patricia Wilson Field. The Hatters run-ruled Kent State 8-0 in five innings and blanked Volusia County rival Bethune-Cookman 5-0. Senior first baseman Andrea Migliori (Winter Garden, Fla.) also homered for Stetson.
Playing as the designated visiting team against Kent State (3-1), the Hatters broke open a scoreless game with four runs in the top of the third inning. Senior left fielder Amanda Bailey (Destin, Fla.) led off with a double down the right field line and freshman second baseman Heather Barnes (Avon Park, Fla.) drew a walk to move her over. Junior center fielder Amy Joyce (Lake Mary, Fla.) then hit a bouncer back to Golden Flash pitcher Markie Pozzuto; in her attempt to force Bailey out at third base, she threw the ball away and Bailey came in to score. One batter later, a walk loaded the bases for Lindsey, who also watched ball four to drive in the second run of the inning. With two out and the bases still loaded, Lowe drove a base hit into right field to score Joyce and freshman pinch runner Jillian Masucci (Spruce Creek, Fla.) to extend the lead to 4-0.
In Stetson's next turn at bat, a Bailey walk and a Joyce infield single brought Migliori to the plate with two out; she blasted the first pitch she saw deep over the right field wall for the three-run homer that made it 7-0. Redshirt freshman designated player Carolyn Boyd (Germantown, Tenn.) collected an RBI single in the fifth that allowed the Hatters to end the game early.
Lindsey was dominant in the circle, picking up her second straight shutout by allowing just two hits and no walks in five innings. She fanned seven. Pozzuto allowed seven runs, four earned, on six hits and four walks in four innings to take the loss; she struck out two batters. Joyce and Migliori had two hits each for the Hatters.
In the nightcap against B-CU, the patient Stetson lineup got to Wildcat starter Chastity Sanders for the only run it would need in the bottom of the third. Freshman shortstop Chelsey Trotto (Lantana, Fla.) picked up her first career base hit and came around to score when Migliori doubled and Lindsey followed her with an RBI single.
A Lindsey single and a Wildcat error in the bottom of the fourth set the stage for Lowe's key at-bat; she worked the count full and then went deep to right field for a three-run shot that made it 4-0 Hatters. Trotto contributed an RBI single later in the inning to reach the final margin.
“We definitely had some Opening Day jitters yesterday but we really settled down today,” Lowe said after the game. “We got ourselves calmed down, looked for our pitches and battled hard.”
Demers struck out nine in seven innings of shutout work, scattering six hits and not walking a batter. The Stetson pitching staff did not walk a single opposing hitter in 12 innings today and maintained its 0.00 team ERA through four games.
The Hatters take on Kent State again tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. in the championship game of the Stetson Leadoff Classic while Bethune-Cookman and Texas State face off at 10 a.m. in the consolation game. Live Stats will be available for both games as will Jamie Bataille's Hatter Vision broadcast. Follow the whole season of Stetson Fastpitch at www.GoHatters.com.
