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April 26, 2003
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The 13th-ranked Florida State Seminoles received a pair of outstanding pitching performances in posting 5-0 and 12-1 victories over the University of Virginia in Atlantic Coast Conference softball action Saturday (April 26) at the Seminole Softball Complex. With the losses, the Cavaliers fall to 33-22 overall and 3-5 in the ACC, while Florida State, which owns the nation’s longest winning streak at 22 games, improves to 41-9 overall and 6-0 in the ACC.
Florida State’s Casey Hunter limited Virginia to five hits in a 5-0 win in the first game, while Jessica van der Linden held the Cavaliers to one run on four hits in a 12-1 five-inning victory in the nightcap.
Virginia first-year pitcher Christina Grimm (Los Osos, Calif./Morro Bay) held Florida State in check in the first three innings of the first game as she retired the first nine batters she faced. The Seminoles broke a scoreless tie with three runs (two earned) on two hits in the bottom of the fourth and added two more in the sixth. Elisa Vasquez provided the big hits for the Seminoles as she hit a two-run triple to right center in the fourth and a two-run homer to right in the sixth to make the final score 5-0.
Grimm held one of the better hitting teams in the nation to four hits, but gave up five runs (four earned) and fell to 13-6 on the season. She walked two batters and struck out one. Hunter improved to 24-5 on the season with the complete-game shutout victory. She gave up five hits and struck out three batters.
First-year second baseman Sara Larquier (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) had two of UVa’s five hits in the game, while fourth-year left fielder Johanna Kaiser (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) recorded a double. Fourth-year third baseman Ruby Rojas (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei) extended her hitting streak to 10 games with a single to center field in the fourth inning. Second-year catcher Jenn Wynn (Herndon, Va./Herndon) had UVa’s other hit in the game.
Florida State exploded for 12 runs in the first three innings en route to a 12-1 win in the second game of the twinbill. The Seminoles scored two runs in the first inning and broke the game open with six more in the second and four in the third. The Cavaliers spoiled van der Linden’s shutout bid with a run in the top of the fifth. Third-year first baseman Hannah Owings (Issaquah, Wash./Liberty) led off the fifth with a double to left center. Second-year Lauren Dennis (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon), pinch running for Owings, moved to third on Kaiser’s bunt single and scored when van der Linden committed a throwing error on the play. Fourth-year catcher Brit Gore (Vienna, Va./James Madison) followed with a single to shortstop. Second-year right fielder M.K. White (Vienna, Va./James Madison) moved Kaiser and Gore to second and third with a sacrifice bunt, but van der Linden retired the next two batters to end the game.
van der Linden helped her own cause by going 3-4 with four RBI and three runs scored, while Shandra Colzie was 4-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. Larquier had UVa’s only other hit in the contest.
First-year pitcher Erin Horn (Tallahassee, Fla./Leon) had a rough homecoming as she gave up eight runs (seven earned) on six hits in one inning of work. Horn also issued two walks in falling to 13-11 on the season. Third-year Joanna Barstad (Canby, Ore./Canby) relieved Horn and gave up four runs on five hits in 1.2 innings of work. Grimm pitched the final 1.1 innings and gave up three hits while striking out one.
The Cavaliers return to action on Sunday, April 27 when they travel to Troy, Alabama for a 1:00 p.m. (CT) doubleheader against Troy State.