Sports Lowdown

Makayla Palmer - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography Following their convincing win on Friday night in the series opener , the Florida Tech Panthers had the momentum going into Saturday’s season ending doubleheader. The Fighting Knights took control with four runs in the first inning of game one and they kept it, winning 9-2 and 2-0. Florida Tech was poised to jump in front in game one, when Hailey Leonard doubled to lead off the game. Katie Maiello followed with a single, but right fielder Madison White came up throwing and she cut down Leonard at the plate. Maiello went to second on the play, but she was stranded there. Florida Tech starting pitcher Amanda Kahn got through the first couple innings, but the third inning started with a fly ball off the bat of Shayle Arenson to Makayla Palmer in right field, Palmer dropped the ball and that put in motion a four-run frame, highlighted by a two-run single by Mackenzie Wyatt. The Panthers (26-25, 11-13 SSC) would...

Vanessa Rubio - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech Panthers used two big innings to make quick work of the Eckerd Tritons on Friday in game one of a Senior Day doubleheader. Makayla Palmer went 3-for-4 at the dish, Vanessa Rubio hit two homers and Krista Patterson added one of her own in a 13-3 win over Eckerd at Nancy Bottge Field on Friday afternoon. The Panthers jumped on Eckerd starter Grace Willeck for six runs in the bottom of the second inning. Palmer led off with a single and came home on Patterson’s two-run shot to center. Rubio went back-to-back, hitting her first of the day and giving the home team a 3-0 lead. Willeck continued to struggle, walking Kaitlin Buchholz , hitting Karina Suicava with a pitch and giving up a single to Hailey Leonard . Willick was able to get Sarah Hayes on strikes, before giving way to Madison Saltzman with one out in the inning. The pitching change didn’t do much good, as Alexus Smith drilled a double to th...

Hailey Leonard - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech Panthers won the front end of a doubleheader with Florida Southern on Saturday, winning game one 3-2, but falling 10-2 in game two. The second game was called after five innings, thanks to the eight-run rule. Amanda Kahn got the start in game one for the Panthers, facing Hannah Loyer and the two battled through four scoreless innings, to start the game.  Kahn did give up two singles in the second inning, but Makayla Deuberry grounded one to Krista Patterson at short, who started the inning-ending double play. Kahn got out of more trouble in the third, after giving up a double and a single to start the inning, she got the next three batters in order. Hailey Leonard finally got the Panthers offense started in the fourth with a double, but a strikeout and a double play, left her stranded. Florida Tech would get another chance in the top of the fifth and they would cash in. Patterson dou...

Makayla Palmer - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Saint Leo Lions (34-7, 15-3 SSC) finished off a mid-week series sweep of the Florida Tech Panthers on Thursday at Nancy Bottge Field, with an 11-0 victory in five innings. This follows Wednesday’s doubleheader victory , that saw the Lions win 11-3 and 7-0. Saint Leo starter Stephanie Adkins (19-3) held the Panthers to five hits in her five-inning complete-game. Florida Tech starter Rachel Pence (14-13) sent the first six Lions down in order, before running into trouble in the third. Michelle George singled to start the inning and Alyssa Wash followed with a bunt in front of the plate. She was safe at first and with no one covering third, George was safe there on a heads-up play. A stolen base by Wash gave the Lions runners at second and third. After Pence struck out Sommer Pollard, she walked Kacie Kelly intentionally. Bailey McKenna struck out and it looked like Pence may get out of the inning. Ciera Schum...

Karina Suicava - Photo credit: James Ragan The Florida Tech softball team has been playing well as of late, but they ran into a buzz saw on Wednesday, losing to the fifth-ranked Saint Leo Lions 11-3 in game one and 7-0 in game two. The first game was picked up in the top of the first, after lightning forced the game to be suspended on Tuesday. With the sweep, the Lions run their win streak to 10 in a row, while Florida Tech had won two in a row. In game one, Saint Leo got on the board in the top of the second, when Alyssa Wash had an RBI double against Florida Tech starter Rachel Pence . The Lions would break things open in the third, with a seven-run outburst. After Karina Suicava made a great diving catch to rob Rachel Heath of a hit to start the inning, Pence walked Ciera Schumaker and Samantha Ohmie. After Brittany Creamer singled to load the bases. A walk and a hit by pitch made it 3-0 and after Pence got Wash on strikes, an RBI fielder’s choice by Sommer Pol...

Karina Suicava - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech softball team got off to a good start on Saturday, beating Nova Southeastern 10-2 in game one of a doubleheader. The game was called in the fifth inning, due to the eight-run rule. They completed the sweep in game two, with a 4-1 win. Krista Patterson drilled a three-run home run in the fifth inning. The Sharks, who won Friday’s series opener 2-0, got off to a good start in this one. Dana Edmundson hit her second leadoff home run in as many days, against Panthers starter Rachel Pence . Florida Tech got that run back on a fielder’s choice by Makayla Palmer , allowing Alexus Smith to score. Smith singled to start the inning. Edmundson got to Pence again, leading off the third, with another solo home run. It was her second of the day and third of the series. Thankfully for the Panthers all her damage was done with nobody on base in front of her. That made it 2-1. That lead didn’t last long, as F...

Amanda Kahn - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech Panthers were back at it Saturday afternoon, wrapping up their three-game series with Rollins College. The Panthers, who came away with a 3-1 win on Friday, completed the series sweep with a 2-0 win in game one and a 6-5 victory in game two. The Panthers needed these wins badly, as they have struggled early in Sunshine State Conference play. They were 1-5 going into the weekend and suddenly, they are just one game below .500 in the conference. Amanda Kahn and Rachel Pence were the Panthers pitchers for the day, each picking up a win and a save on the day. Kahn (6-4) pitched well in game one, giving up two hits in her 4.2 innings of work. She walked two and struck out two, throwing 66 pitches, 44 for strikes. Her team gave her all the support she needed in the top of the first. Alexus Smith started things with a single, against Rollins starter Grace Street. She was out at second on a field...

Alexus Smith  - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography After hitting home runs in separate innings in game one , Alexus Smith and Hailey Leonard went back-to-back in game two, helping the Florida Tech Panthers to a 5-3 win over Palm Beach Atlantic and a split of a Saturday doubleheader at Nancy Bottge Field. Smith had two of the Panthers four hits in the contest and scored two runs. “This was big,” said Panthers coach Val Silvestrini. “I feel like we’re getting better in conference play and getting used to this series now.” As they did in game one, the Sailfish drew first blood in game two. Alexis Guerra led off with a double against Panthers starter Amanda Kahn . She later scored on a double by Magnolia West, giving the visitors an early 1-0 lead. Florida Tech (16-17) got that run back in the bottom of the third, against Palm Beach Atlantic starter Ashton Adkins. Smith started things with a single and Leonard was hit by a pitch. Krista Patterson hit into ...

After a back-and-forth affair between Barry and Florida Tech in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, the teams put on one heck of an encore, with Florida Tech pulling out a 14-13 victory at Nancy Bottge Field and earning a much-needed split. “That’s something I’m really proud of, these kids keep battling and never quit,” said Panthers coach Val Silvestrini after the game. “We had to come back in several situations.” A single by Hailey Leonard in the bottom of the seventh, drove in the 27 th run of the game and capped off over four hours of baseball between the two games.  The victory meant the Panthers avoided a sweep and more importantly, gave them their first conference win of the season. Things did not start well for Florida Tech, as Barry got an unearned run against starter Amanda Kahn , when shortstop Krista Patterson dropped a ball that would’ve ended the inning. After a fielder’s choice kept the inning going, Kahn got Avery Cotterill, swinging to end the ...

Florida Tech took their road show to Rome, GA on Wednesday, for a doubleheader against the Shorter Hawks. The 12-game road trip did not end well for the Panthers, who lost game one 6-5 and game two, 7-0. Things got off to a rough start for the Panthers in game one, as Shorter scored four unearned runs against starter Amanda Kahn (3-4) in the bottom of the first. The Hawks took advantage of two errors in the frame. Tiffany Holland singled to start the game and Maddie Hunt reached on an error. Ericka Bynum, who had a heck of a day at the plate, singled and Holland held at third, but scored on another error. Peyton Barthel’s RBI ground out made it 2-0 and an RBI single by Taylor Martin made it 3-0. The Hawks capped the inning with an RBI double off the bat of Hailey Baswell. That was the end of the day for Kahn, who was lifted after two-thirds of an inning. She allowed five hits, but no earned runs, facing just eight batters. McKenzie Krutsinger came on to record the ...

The University of Alabama in Huntsville scored six runs in the first inning on Monday, propelling the home team to a 7-1 victory over Florida Tech. UAH is ranked 16 th nationally and they showed why, scoring four runs against Panthers starter Rachel Pence , who faced six batters and only retiring one. UAH starter Tyler Harrison was in control from the start, going the distance and allowing one run on five hits. She struck out nine and did not walk a batter, throwing 117 pitches. She handed the Panthers their eighth straight loss. Haley Thompson started the game with a single and that was followed by back-to-back home runs by Kaitlyn Bannister and Taylor Wascavage. After an error allowed Harrison to reach, the Panthers recorded an out on a fielder’s choice. It was a short reprieve, because Reagan Malone doubled in another run, giving the Chargers a 4-0 lead. That was the end of the day for Pence (7-7), who pitched 0.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hi...

The Embry-Riddle Eagles swept a doubleheader from Florida Tech on Saturday, with a 4-3 game one win and a 6-1 win in game two. It was the third straight win for the Eagles, who beat Florida Tech in the series opener on Friday. With the Eagles being a provisional member of the Sunshine State Conference, the victories count in the overall standings, but they do not count against Florida Tech as conference losses., That may be the only silver lining the Panthers can take away from the weekend. Errors hurt the Panthers in Friday’s game and they committed three more in game one on Saturday. Two of those led to Embry-Riddle scoring twice against Panthers starter Rachel Pence in the top of the first. Anna Battison singled and went to second on a throwing error. After a walk, Maggie Scott reached on a fielder’s choice, bringing Kendall Funk to the plate. She lifted a fly ball to left that resulted in an error and allowed both runs to score. Florida Tech put together a tw...

Following a loss on Friday in game one of the series, the Florida Tech softball team looked for revenge Saturday in a doubleheader against the Tampa Spartans. Unfortunately, the home team had other ideas, as they swept the Panthers 3-2 and 6-1. Game one took nine innings to decide a winner, with Tampa scoring in the bottom of the frame, thanks to a Shelby Press RBI single. Florida Tech (10-8, 0-3 SSC) struck first in game one against Tampa starter Corynn Miner. Vanessa Rubio reached on a fielder’s choice and came home on a Hailey Leonard double. After Makayla Palmer walked, Rachel Kraak singled home Leonard, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead. Audrey Gangloff walked, loading the bases, but Kaitlin Buchholz flied out to end the inning. Rachel Pence got the start for Florida Tech and like Miner, ran into early trouble. Taylor Farrell singled with one out and was chased home on a triple by Bre Setree. A sac fly by Makaleigh Dooley, tied things up at two. It was a p...

The Florida Tech softball team split a doubleheader with Valdosta State on Tuesday, winning game one 11-2, before dropping the second game 6-5. The Panthers did all their damage in two of the five innings played in the first game, pounding out 13 hits. Alexus Smith finished game one 3-for-4 and the Karina Suicava , who has done a great job in the nine spot for the Panthers in the early going, finishing 3-for-3 on Tuesday, with two RBIs. Rachel Pence (7-2) gave up five hits in her five innings of work, with both Valdosta State runs coming in the first inning. She walked two and did not strike out a batter. Blazers pitcher Avery Lamb went the first three innings, with the Panthers exploding for seven runs in the top of the third. Suicava and Smith singled and Krista Patterson drew a walk to load the bases. Vanessa Rubio doubled in two, tying the game and the Panthers were off and running. Hailey Leonard ’s RBI ground out made it 3-2 and Makayla Palmer had an RBI...

The Florida Tech softball team sent 15 batters to the plate in the fourth inning Saturday, scoring 11 runs in the frame and beating Stonehill 14-3, in a game that went four and a half innings before being called. Amanda Kahn pitched four innings, to secure the win. The Panthers (9-3) pounded out 11 hits in the romp, led by Karina Suicava who went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Makayla Palmer drove in three runs as well. Suicava got things started in the bottom of the second with a bases loaded single off Skyhawks starter Jennifer Mayette. Rachel Kraak , Audrey Gangloff and Alexus Smith all had hits in the inning. A wild pitch scored Smith with the third run of the inning. Stonehill (0-3) got two runs back in the top of the third inning, both unearned against Kahn. Erin Brayden drove the runs in with a single. Taylor Whaley followed that with a single, but Kraak threw Brayden out at the plate, ending the inning. The Skyhawks did tie the game ...