March 12, 2002

Box Score

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Pitcher Nikki Gasti tied a career high with 10 strikeouts and the Panthers got a walk-off single by Heather Andrews in the bottom of the seventh to end a four-game losing streak and defeat Winthrop, 3-2, in the Seminole Invitational on Saturday evening.

The game was scoreless through the first three and a half innings with the Eagles picking up the only two hits in those frames on singles in the second and fourth innings.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, freshman Casey Pickard (Newhall, Calif./William S. Hart) led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Andrews (Zelienople, Pa./Riverside). After a groundout moved Pickard to third base, she scored on a wild pitch for the game's first run.

The game stayed that way until the top of the sixth inning when Winthrop took a 2-1 lead on three hits off Gasti (Carmichaels, Pa./Carmichaels). The Panthers added a run in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at 2-2. Andrews led the inning off with a single and moved to second when Jodi McGartland (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park) reached on an error by the pitcher.

After a double steal moved the Panther runners to second and third, Clare McCann (Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo) singled with one out to pick up her second RBI in as many games as Andrews crossed the plate. Pittsburgh went for the lead but McGartland was thrown out at the plate on the play.

Gasti picked up her career-high-tying 10th strikeout in the top of the seventh inning and held the Eagles scoreless, setting up the last-frame heroics by the Panthers.

With one out, Missy Smith (Clackamas, Ore./Clackamas) singled for her second hit of the game and moved to second on a single by Kate Mitchell (St. Louis, Mo./Lafayette). Junior Kelly Hulpa (Washington, Pa./Trinity) was hit by a pitch, loading the bases and putting the winning run on third. After Pickard flew out to left, Andrews delivered the game-winning single, scoring Smith with the Panthers' third run.

Gasti (2-6) pitched all seven innings, allowing just six hits and the two runs and walking just one Eagle batter. The win moved the Panthers' record to 4-14 for the season and advanced them into the Silver bracket consolation game against Florida A&M on Sunday morning.