Softball sweeps doubleheader at Gulf Coast
PANAMA CITY, FL - The Raider softball team traveled to Gulf Coast on Monday looking to ride the momentum off of a home sweep of Tallahassee on Saturday. Not only did that momentum indeed carry over to Monday, it grew exponentially after earning their second consecutive conference sweep against the red-hot Commodores. NWF faced off against one of the most dangerous teams in Region VIII over the past few weeks and more than held their own. Their 6-4 and 1-0 wins over Gulf Coast made a significant statement and in the process catapulted the Raiders to the top of the Panhandle Conference standings.
Game One: NWF 6, Gulf Coast 4
Northwest Florida wasted little time getting out in front on Monday in the first game of the twin bill. The Raiders raced out to 5-2 lead after three innings and held off Lady Commodores for a 6-4 victory.
Northwest Florida State College got on the board in the second inning. Gracie Bellard doubled on a 1-1 count, scoring one run. In the third inning, Gabby Fischetti, Layla Thompson, Maycie Hardy, and Kassidy Hood each drove in runs.
Allison Brunson earned the victory for Northwest Florida. The righthander surrendered four runs on seven hits over seven innings, striking out two and walking one.
The Raiders hit two home runs in the game. Fischetti went deep in the third inning while Sydney Stewart left the yard in the fourth inning.
Defensively, NWF played a very clean game and didn't commit a single error in the field. Stewart had nine chances in the field, the most on the team.
Game Two: NWF 1, Gulf Coast 0
The Raiders got a stellar pitching performance in game two from freshman Alexis Wadsworth. The leffhander shut down Gulf Coat, throwing a complete game shutout and leading Northwest Florida to a 1-0 victory in the nightcap of the doubleheader. Wadsworth limited the Commodores to just four hits and zero runs while striking out eight and walking none.
Northwest Florida scored the lone run in the game in the top of the third inning. Maycie Hardy launched a solo homerun, her third of the season, to give the Raiders the 1-0 lead they would not relinquish.
Not only was Alexis Wadsworth outstanding in the circle, she also went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the Raiders in hits.
The Raiders now improve to 34-7 overall and 6-2 in conference play. They will next be in action at home on Wednesday, March 30 when they host Pensacola State College at 1:00 and 3:00 PM.
For more information on Northwest Florida State athletics, visit NWFRaiders.com or follow @NWFRaiders on Twitter.