Panthers split with Raiders

The South Florida Community College softball team had mixed results in its doubleheader against Seminole State College, the sixth-ranked junior college team in the nation, on Tuesday afternoon at Panther Field.

South Florida played solid ball the first game in earning a come-from-behind 5-3 win, but the Panthers couldn't maintain the momentum dropping a 6-3 decision to the Raiders in the second game.

"A win's a win." South Florida softball coach Carlos Falla said about the first game. "I'm not going to say anything bad about it."

Even with the win, Falla worried about how the team would play in the second game, which has been a problem all season long.

"Our nemesis is getting that second game and coming back out with the same intensity and being respectable," Falla said.

During the first game, there wasn't much that South Florida could do wrong as the Panthers jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning as Heather Barnes, a former standout at Avon Park High School, lined a bases-loaded, two-run double to left field for a 2-0 lead.

Seminole answered in the top of the second inning when Erica Tollett blasted a two-run homer over the center-field fence off of South Florida hurler Ashlee Quigley to tie the game at 2.

In the top of the third inning, Seminole's Natalie Beach lofted a sacrifice fly to left field that plated a run to give the Raiders a 3-2 lead.

SFCC bounced back in the bottom of the fourth inning as Kara Watson led off with an infield single, Lacy McCall roped a two-out double to plate Watson and Faith Franklin followed up with a run-scoring double to give the Panthers a 4-3 lead.

South Florida tacked on an insurance run as Christina Luciano launched a titanic shot that bounced off the scoreboard in center field for a solo home run and a 5-3 lead.

Quigley settled down after some early control problems and earned the win by surrendering three runs in her seven innings of work and the hard-throwing right-hander struck out three Raiders.

"We got a pretty good performance out of Quigley," Falla said. "Her back has been bothering her."

Quigley faced some adversity early in the Suncoast Conference contest, but the freshman buckled down and worked her way out of the jams giving up only a minimal amount of damage.

Barnes and McCall led the way offensively for SFCC, as both players went 2-for-3 with each knocking in a run.

Mental mistakes cost the Panthers during the 6-3 loss in the second game, as South Florida committed an uncharacteristic four errors, which led to four unearned runs.

The Panthers held a 2-1 lead into the top of the fifth inning before the Raiders were able to take the lead for good during a two-out, five-run rally that was aided by errors.

"We continue to not show up in the second game and that's our biggest problem," Falla said. "We complete the first one and then we relax and don't play with the same intensity.

"We've got to get past that and play both games like they're important."

Intensity and desire are what his squad needs to help turn things around and improve their play during the second game of doubleheaders.

"They have to want it," the Panther coach said. "They have to turn that switch on and I want them to win every game.

"But me wanting it is not the same as them wanting it."

Gaining that desire will be a process the youthful Panther players are still learning.

"We've got a lot of freshmen who are used to playing one high school game a night and going home," Falla said. "It's an adjustment for them to learn how to play two."

South Florida is back on the diamond with a home doubleheader at 4 p.m. today against Santa Fe Community College at Panther Field.