Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
FORT MYERS, Fla. - The LIU Brooklyn softball team dropped the first two games of the Florida Gulf Coast/Four Points by Sheraton Spring Break Tournament on Friday. The Blackbirds fell to Bethune Cookman, 5-2, before being nipped by the host Eagles in the nightcap, 2-1.
Graduate student Lauren Morizi went 5-for-8 at the plate while junior Nichole Toven went 3-for-6, but LIU stranded 15 runners on base over the two games and managed just three runs.
In the first game of the day, Bethune Cookman scored a run in the top of the first that was quickly answered by the Blackbirds. Morizi singled to lead off the bottom half, moved to second on an error and to third on a sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, freshman Kayla Gloady singled home her teammate to tie the score at 1-1.
In the third, the Wildcats took the lead on a fielder's choice then scored an unearned run in the fifth to boost the advantage to 3-1. Two more runs in the sixth inning bumped the cushion to four, before the Blackbirds picked up their offense in the bottom half.
Sophomore Sara Shier doubled to lead the inning off and moved to third on a single from Gloady. Two batters later, freshman Nikki Schroeder lofted a sacrifice fly to left to score pinch runner Karlie Brady and put the score at 5-2.
With the score the same, LIU threatened in the seventh as Morizi doubled and Toven singled to put runners on the corners with two outs. But Bethune Cookman was able to secure the final out to preserve the win.
A pitcher's duel between senior Cassie Vondrak and FGCU's Shelby Morgan broke out in the second contest of the day. Neither Vondrak nor Morgan allowed an earned run until the seventh inning, but both teams were able to get on the board by way of unearned tallies.
In the second, the Eagles scored on an error to give them a 1-0 lead that held until the top of the seventh. Sophomore Whitney West reached on an error and moved to second on a passed ball to put LIU in business. A sacrifice bunt moved West to third before another error, this one on FGCU's second baseman, allowed West to score and for Jazmin Rodriguez to advance to second base with just one out.
Another base hit from Morizi put runners on the corners for sophomore Ariana Lopez. Lopez hit a fly ball to the left fielder for the second out, and Rodriguez was tagged out at home trying to score to end the inning.
The Eagles took advantage in the bottom half as a double by Kelsey Carpenter with two outs and a runner on first drove home Jessica Barnes for the game-winning run. The walkoff loss was the second this season for the Blackbirds, who were defeated by Central Florida in similar fashion.
LIU Brooklyn returns to action on Saturday, Mar. 1, and will take on Eastern Michigan and Michigan State.