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Florida State Defeats Virginia To Win ACC Softball Championship
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May 11, 2003
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The 10th-ranked Florida State softball team posted a 10-2 five-inning victory over the University of Virginia Sunday (May 11) to win the 2003 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship at the Seminole Softball Complex. With the victory, Florida State extended its nation-best winning streak to 27 games and improved to 46-9 on the season. UVa finished the ACC Championship with a 3-2 record and stands at 37-26 on the season. The Cavaliers earned runner-up honors in the ACC Tournament for the sixth time since the inception of the tournament in 1992.
Virginia jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. First-year right fielder Jessica Taylor (Philadelphia, Pa./Germantown Academy) got things started by slapping a single through the left side of the infield with one out. Taylor moved to second when fourth-year third baseman Ruby Rojas (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei) was hit by a pitch. It was the ninth time Rojas has been plunked by a pitch this season. UVa loaded the bases with one out when first-year second baseman Sara Larquier (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs) drew a walk. Second-year catcher Jenn Wynn (Herndon, Va./Herndon) then hit a grounder to second and FSU’s Brandi Stuart threw high to the plate for an error allowing Taylor and Rojas to score. The Cavaliers nearly added at least one more run, but Seminole shortstop Tatiana George made a great over the shoulder catch on first-year designated player Christina Grimm’s (Los Osos, Calif./Morro Bay) soft line drive to end the threat.
The Seminoles tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the second on ACC Tournament MVP Lesley Palmer’s two-run homer to left center. Beth Wade scored ahead of Palmer after reaching base on a walk. Florida State took a 3-2 lead with an unearned run in the third. Shandra Colzie led off the inning with a hit and eventually scored on a two-out throwing error that allowed Elisa Vasquez to reach first base. FSU broke the game open with four runs, including three unearned, in the fourth to take a 7-2 edge. The Seminoles used three singles, two walks and an error to score the four runs. Florida State added three runs in the fifth to make the final score 10-2. FSU extended its lead to 9-2 on Shundra Colzie’s two-run homer and then Tatiana George ended the game with a run-scoring double that plated Natasha Jacob.
First-year Erin Horn (Tallahassee, Fla./Leon) took the loss in the circle for Virginia, falling to 17-12 on the season. Horn gave up nine runs, only five of which were earned, on seven hits in four innings of work. She struck out four batters and walked four. Horn was 3-1 in the tournament for the Cavaliers and pitched 21.1 innings over the three-day tournament. Casey Hunter (27-5) picked up the victory for Florida State. In four innings, she allowed two unearned runs on two hits and struck out four batters while walking two.
The Cavaliers had a tournament high five players selected to the 11-member ACC All-Tournament Team. Larquier, Taylor, Horn, fourth-year left fielder Johanna Kaiser (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) and third-year shortstop Heather Field (Lincoln, Calif./Lincoln) were all named to the team. UVa tied its school record for doubles in a season when Field hit the team’s 88th and her 16th double in the second inning.