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In case you missed it Wednesday night, the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles lost its first game of the year after winning 22 straight to open the season.
The defending National Champions, however, bounced back in a big way to win the second game of a doubleheader at Grand Canyon.
Here’s the recap of the two games courtesy of reports from Seminoles.com and GCULopes.com…
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Falling for the first time in 2019, No. 1 Florida State (23-1) earned a doubleheader split on the road at Grand Canyon (11-8) on Wednesday night.
How big of an upset was the opening game win by the Lopes?
According to the Grand Canyon softball site, the softball team “became GCU’s first Division I-era team to beat a team with a No. 1 national ranking Wednesday night when it stunned defending national champion Florida State 5-3 at GCU Softball Stadium.”
“What a great night for the program,” GCU head coach Ann Pierson said. “I am so proud of the kids. To just come out with this crazy focused energy. To just compete.”
The loss in game one of the doubleheader snapped FSU’s season-opening and overall winning streaks at 22 and 28 games, respectively. They both stand as the second-longest streak in both categories.
The Seminoles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning of game one on back-to-back solo home runs by Carsyn Gordon and Sydney Sherrill. It marked the fifth time this season that Florida State had hit consecutive home runs this season.
The Noles scored a total of six runs in the first inning on Wednesday night, marking the 16th time in 24 games that the Noles have scored a run in the first inning.
Cali Harrod led off the FSU third inning with a walk, stole second and came in to score on an RBI single by Gordon.
After retiring the first six batters of the game, including three strikeouts, the first hit allowed by FSU starting pitcher Meghan King was a solo home run to left by Kaileigh Holland in the third inning.
The turning point of the game may have come in the third inning when the Seminoles looked to blow open the contest already leading 3-1, but a highlight-reel catch from Lopes shortstop Shea Smith set the senior up to double up a runner at second and end the frame.
The Seminoles threatened in the top of the fifth inning on two-out singles by Gordon and Sherrill put runners on the corners, but an attempted first-and-third play ended with Gordon retired at the plate to end the inning after GCU’s 2-4-5 successful rundown.
The Lopes tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth inning with back-to-back doubles from senior third baseman Sierra Smith and freshman second baseman Savannah Tourville cut the FSU lead to 3-2 and an RBI single to right by Jordon Keeton with one out gave Grand Canyon its third run.
GCU took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning as doubles by Taylor Olsen and Tourville put the Lopes in front ending King’s day in the circle.
FSU’s Cassidy Davis entered with two outs in the inning and, after hitting Holland, Tourville doubling to left field on a high chopper over the head of Sherill at third base to score pinch runner Christin Bellavia from third.
The Lopes would score two in the fifth and another pair in the sixth to making it only the third time Florida State had trailed in a game this season.
Florida State’s Makinzy Herzog hit an infield single with one out in the top of the seventh, bringing the tying run to the plate for Florida State, but a pop out and a line out ended the game.
GCU’s starting right-hander Yessie Morrison (4-2) put on a masterpiece performance after the rocky first inning, only allowing four hits over her final six innings. Florida State was hitting a NCAA-leading .384 entering Wednesday. The sophomore picked up a complete-game win, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk.
The Lopes got to Florida State ace Meghan King, whose earned run average of 0.72 ranked 14th in the nation before the loss to GCU. The Lopes scored all five runs against King on seven hits in her 5 2/3 innings of work.
King (10-1) lost her first game in her last 28 appearances, allowing five runs on seven hits with zero walks and seven strikeouts over 5.2 innings. Davis posted a strikeout and allowed a hit in her 0.1 innings of relief.
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Florida State came back with a vengeance in game two, run-ruling Grand Canyon 11-1 in a six-inning victory.
The Seminoles batted around in the first inning, bringing in four runs on an RBI double by Gordon, a two-run single by Elizabeth Mason and an RBI double by Herzog.
The Noles made it a 7-0 game after the top of the second inning on an RBI double by Sherrill and RBI singles from Zoe Casas and Davis.
Singles by Mason and Casas put runners on first and second with one out in the FSU fourth inning, and as Herzog was retired on a close play at first for out number two, Mason aggressively scored from second on the play to extend the lead to 8-0.
FSU starting pitcher Kathryn Sandercock shined in the circle on Wednesday night, allowing only one baserunner on a hit-by-pitch through the first 3.1 innings of the game, before Grand Canyon’s Shea Smith hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth.
Florida State scored three runs in the top of the sixth as the Noles loaded the bases with nobody out on singles by Mason and Casas, along with a walk by Deja Bush. Herzog hit an RBI groundout to score Mason and Savannah Parker made it an 11-1 game with a two-run double to right center.
Herzog entered to pitch for Sandercock to start the GCU fifth inning and she retired all six batters she faced and posted four strikeouts. Herzog has not allowed an earned run through her first 19.0 innings of work in her career, striking out 20 and giving up just eight hits.
Sandercock improved to 8-0 on the season giving up just one run on two hits over 4.0 innings without a walk with two strikeouts.
The Seminoles will wrap up their 10-game road trip this weekend with a three-game series at Arizona (17-5) on March 8-10.
It doesn’t get much easier for Grand Canyon as the Lopes head to Norman, Oklahoma for four games against Drake, Tulsa, Northwestern and Oklahoma starting on Friday at the OU Softball Complex.
Despite the initial loss of the season, FSU head coach Lonni Alameda says she was “Pleased with how we bounced back in game two after the loss. Credit to Grand Canyon. They are a tough, competitive team that can swing it. They played good defense and took advantage of their opportunities, and we have a lot of learning moments from tonight.”