ATLANTA – After a weekend sweep against Georgia Tech the Noles kept the momentum going with a 6-3 win at Georgia State 6-3. Lacey Waldrop shutdown Georgia State allowing only three hits. At the plate Jessica Warren continued her stellar freshman season knocking in 3 runs, including a two-run home run.
“Nice win today,” said FSU head coach Lonni Alameda. “We got down early but were able to trust the process and keep fighting for next pitch and were able to be successful. Georgia State is a quality team and showed why they have had such a great season.”
Morgan Klaevemann opened the game with a bunt single in the first inning to extend her hitting streak to 19 games, setting a Florida State record.
Georgia State plated a run in the bottom of the first as the leadoff hitter Taylor Anderson reached on a walk and moved to second with a sacrifice bunt. She came in to score on an RBI single by Lauren Coleman.
Warren gave the Seminoles the lead in the top of the fourth as the freshman blasted a two-run home run to right field. It was her 16th home run of the season, giving her sole possession of second place in a single season in FSU history. Warren trails only Maddie O’Brien, who hit 24 home runs in 2014.
Waldrop controlled the Georgia State hitters following the first inning run. She retired 12 of the next 14 hitters she faced from the first to the fifth inning and was aided by an inning-ending double play in the fourth.
Florida State added three runs in the top of the fifth to take a 5-1 lead. Bailey Schinella got things started with a leadoff single to left and she was pinch-run for at first by Lauren Harris. The Noles then loaded the bases on back-to-back singles by Victoria Daddis and Klaevemann.
O’Brien drove a pitch into right field for a two-RBI single, prompting Georgia State to make a pitching change. The Panthers brought in Katie Worley to replace starter Taylor Thorpe.
Warren swung at the first pitch from Worley and hit an RBI groundout to short, allowing Klaevemann to score from third to push the Seminole lead to 5-1.
Thorpe (16-5) finished with 4.1 innings pitched and gave up five runs on seven hits with one walk and one strikeout in the loss. Worley pitched the final 2.2 innings for the Panthers, giving up just one hit and an unearned run with two walks and two strikeouts.
Macey Cheatham posted the first extra-base hit of her career as she led off the seventh inning with a double off the wall in left field. She moved up to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to make it 6-1 Florida State.
Georgia State rallied in the bottom of the seventh for two runs on two hits with two walks. The Panthers had the tying run at the plate with two outs before Warren fielded a groundout to third to end the game.
Waldrop (26-6) finished the game in the circle for the Noles, tossing a complete-game three-hitter with three runs, two earned, five walks and one strikeout.
***FSU Athletics
