Florida State softball starts off season 4-0

Florida State Seminoles softball, coming off a miraculous run in the postseason that saw them fall just short of a College World Series title, started off the 2022 season strong, allowing two runs over the course of four games to sweep the JoAnne Graf Classic in Tallahassee.

Lonni Alameda’s squad kicked off the weekend with an easy, breezy 12-run win shutout of the Mercer Bears, run-ruling them in five innings. In that matchup, FSU racked up 13 hits in just 24 at-bats — including three home runs, two triples and one double. Pitcher Danielle Watson earned the win.

Against Kennesaw State, a team that the Seminoles would face off against on Saturday, FSU showcased a bit more of its defensive prowess as well as the strength of its pitching rotation, with Kathryn Sandercock, in a complete game, allowing just five hits while throwing eight strikeouts. It took a bit for the offense to get consistently going, mustering just 9 hits, but four runs were more than enough given FSU’s success defensively.

Saturday saw the Seminoles take on the Loyola Ramblers, who scored the first two runs on Florida State this season, making the matchup a 2-2 game heading into the second inning. From there, though, FSU scored six straight runs, three of which were homers. Pitcher Emma Wilson got the win.

In round two vs. Kennesaw State, the Seminoles got the chance to showcase the bats, scoring 11 runs in a shutout victory, the second run-rule of the weekend. Pitcher Danielle Watson, after starting out the weekend with a shutout and a win, ended it the same way.

Below are scoring summaries of the first two games from FSU Sports Info — we’ll post the two from Sunday when they become available:

No. 6 Florida State 12, Mercer 0

Friday, Feb. 11

B1 | Mack Leonard tripled to right field, scoring Sherrill. (Florida State 1, Mercer 0)

B2 | Devyn Flaherty stole second, advanced to third on an error, scored. (Florida State 2, Mercer 0)

B2 | Kaley Mudge homered to right field. (Florida State 3, Mercer 0)

B2 | Mack Leonard homered. (Florida State 4, Mercer 0)

B3 | Keen singled to first base, scoring Ross. (Florida State 5, Mercer 0)

B3 | Kerr doubled, scoring Keen. (Florida State 6, Mercer 0)

B3 | Flaherty singled to right field, scoring Kerr. (Florida State 7, Mercer 0)

B3 | Mudge hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Flaherty. (Florida State 8, Mercer 0)

B3 | Leonard singled to left field, scoring Blankenship. (Florida State 9, Mercer 0)

B3 | Harding homered, scoring Leonard. (Florida State 11, Mercer 0)

B4 | Culp singled, scoring Kerr. (Florida State 12, Mercer 0)

No. 6 Florida State 4, Kennesaw State 0

Friday, Feb. 11

B2 | Flaherty doubled to left-center field, scoring Keen. (Florida State 1, Kennesaw State 0)

B2 | A fielder’s choice on Muffley’s bunt scored Flaherty. (Florida State 2, Kennesaw State 0)

B4 | Mudge singled, scoring Wacaser. (Florida State 3, Kennesaw State 0)

B5 | Harding hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Ross. (Florida State 4, Kennesaw State 0)

No. 6 Florida State 8, Loyola 2

Saturday, Feb. 12

T1 | Wallace homered to left center, scoring Ebeling. (Florida State 0, Loyola 2)

B1 | Kerr homered. (Florida State 1, Loyola 2)

B1 | Sherrill scored due to an error. (Florida State 2, Loyola 2)

B2 | Kerr tripled to right field, scoring Blankenship and Flaherty. (Florida State 4, Loyola 2)

B3 | Edenfield homered to left-center. (Florida State 5, Loyola 2)

B4 | Blankenship homered through the left side. (Florida State 6, Loyola 2)

B6 | Sherrill singled up the middle, scoring Blankenship and Flaherty. (Florida State 8, Loyola 2)

No. 6 Florida State 11, Kennesaw State 0

Saturday, Feb. 12

B1 | A fielder’s choice on Sherrill’s at-bat scored Mudge. (Florida State 1, Kennesaw State 0)

B3 | Harding flied out to left field, scoring Mudge. (Florida State 2, Kennesaw State 0)

B4 | Keen singled to second base, scoring Ross. (Florida State 3, Kennesaw State 0)

B4 | Blankenship singled to right field, scoring Flaherty. (Florida State 4, Kennesaw State 0)

B4 | Kerr singled to shortstop, scoring Keen. (Florida State 5, Kennesaw State 0)

B4 | Leonard singled to right field, scoring Belviy and Blankenship. (Florida State 7, Kennesaw State 0)

B4 | Wacaser flied out to center field, scoring Mudge. (Florida State 8, Kennesaw State 0)

B4 | Edenfield singled through the left side, scoring Leonard. (Florida State 9, Kennesaw State 0)

B4 | Keen doubled to right-center, scoring Edenfield and Muffley. (Florida State 11, Kennesaw State 0)