Panthers Win Battle of the Cats at 1st Day of Je Hawkins Tournament
BYRON, Ga.–The Florida Tech Panthers (27-11) scored a combine 24 points in ten innings of play for games one and two at the 2006 JE Hawkins Softball
Tournament hosted by Fort Valley State University at the North Peach Park in Byron, Georgia earlier today. The Panthers notched five homeruns for the
day including senior Megan Hube’s (Bel Air, MD) second grand slam on the season in the night cap.
In game one, Tech battled the Panthers of Clark Atlanta (16-30) scoring seven of their eleven runs in the bottom of the second. Senior Courtney Harless
(St. Cloud, Fla.) started the ball rolling for Tech with a single to the shortstop, while sophomore Dana Buccelli (Melbourne, Fla.) was next hammering a
double shot to left field. Senior Karen D’Alberto (Cape Coral, Fla.) plated both Buccelli and Harless on a shot past Clark-Atlanta’s third baseman to score
the first two of the game.
Tech’s only other Panther to notch two RBI’s in the second was a Hube on a sacrifice fly to centerfield. Tech went on to score three more runs in the third
and a final insurance run in the fourth to force a five inning finish due to the eight run mercy rule shutting down Clark-Atlanta 11-0 to start the
tournament.
Junior Wewahitchka, Florida native Judith Husband (6-2) hurled two hit shut out this afternoon. Husband allowed no runs while walking one and fanning five
batters for her 5.0 innings of work.
For the game, Hube finished 2-for-2 with three RBI’s and fellow senior D’Alberto also went 2-for-2 with one run and two RBI’s. Junior Katie Naumoff
(Poland, Ohio) finished the game 2-for 3 pitching in 2 runs and 2 RBI. Harless and Buccelli also each added two hits for the game.
In game two, the Panthers defeated the Pantherettes of Claflin University (20-31) 13-2. Sophomore, Thyra Dewey (4-0), hailing from Chelmsford,
Massachusetts, was awarded the win. Dewey pitched a five inning game notching her collegiate career high in strike-outs with seven for night cap. She
allowed six hits on two runs while placing one on base.
The Panthers broke a season record with four homeruns against Claflin. Tech spread the scoring out in the second game tallying two runs in the first, three
in the second, one in the fourth and making their big inning the top of the fifth with seven runs.
Harless started off right away with a homer launched over the left line bring home Naumoff for the two run shot. Naumoff struck first earlier with a single
to centerfield.
In the top of the second inning, the Panthers started another two out rally when D’Alberto beat out the throw with a hard knock to the shortstop. Freshman
Zoe Morozko (Teaneck, New Jersey), who made her first collegiate start, reached on a walk. Chisena then proceed to follow Harless’ lead and fire the second
homer of the game of the game for three RBI’s.
In the fourth, Morozko grabbed her first collegiate hit sending the ball up the middle. She proceeded to steal second and Naumoff brought her home on a
single over the third baseman’s head.
Morozko then proceeded to tally her first RBI in the top of the fifth plating Tech’s seventh run and the first of the inning after smacking her second
consecutive hit finding a hole in the left center field. The final five runs came from a combined back to back home run effort by the dueling power
hitters in Hube and Harless. Hube with the grand slam and Harless launching the final homerun and run for Tech in the fifth to finish off the scoring.
Both Harless and Hube have been battling back and forth to control the home run lead finishing today’s action each tied with ten, which currently leads the
SSC for the most home runs scored.
Naumoff led the way going 3-for-3 with two runs and 1 RBI. Both Harless and Chisena each went 2-for 4 with two runs and three RBI’s. Hube added four RBI,
while Morozko finished with a perfect 2-for-2 notching the game high three runs and one RBI.
For the two tournament games Naumoff lead the way hitting an .833 while D’Alberto was not far behind with a .750 batting average. Morozko rounding out the
top three hitting .667 for the day.
Tech will be back inaction tomorrow for day two of the JE Hawkins tournament facing host Fort Valley State to open the day of play at 10:00 a.m. The
Panthers will also face Florida Gulf Coast and Florida Southern to round out the weekend trip.
