Box Score
Clearwater, FL – The Seahawks dropped their fourth straight game to start the year, falling to Bethune-Cookman this afternoon, 2-1, at the South Florida Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater, FL.
For the fourth straight game, Wagner found itself down early as Bethune-Cookman's leadoff hitter, Ashton Hinds earned a walk off Seahawk pitcher Amanda Garcia (Fresno, CA), who took the circle for the first time this year. A bloop single by Allie Garcia gave Hinds just enough room to score the game's first run and give the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead.
Amanda Garcia (Fresno, CA / California State University, Fresno) tried to help her own cause in the bottom of the second inning, giving the Green and White their first hit of the day with a shallow center-field drive, but Allie Garcia's defense sent the Seahawks back out to the field scoreless.
After each team exchanged scoreless innings, the Wildcats struck again in the top of the fifth. With an Allie Garcia triple to the right field wall, Cesley Tafoya connected on another deep fly to right that scored Garcia on the sacrifice hit, extending the score to 2-0.
Wagner got on the board in the bottom half of the fifth after Vanessa Lenart (Fontana, CA) reached first on an error by the Wildcat shortstop, before scoring on a blast to the right-center field wall by freshman Taylor Rauscher (Peoria, AZ). Rauscher raced around for a triple on the play for her first collegiate extra-base hit that brought the Seahawks within one run.
Amanda Garcia faced a two-out, two runners in scoring position, situation in the top of the sixth inning, but got Hinds to fly out to centerfield to end the inning, keeping the score at 2-1.
Ashley Olsen (Staten Island, NY) led off the bottom of the sixth inning with her second hit of the day, lacing a shot to right field, but Allie Garcia and the Wildcats defense shutdown the next three Seahawks to send the game into the seventh, 2-1.
Amanda Garcia gave up her eighth hit of the outing before settling down to remove the next three batters, as the Seahawks readied for a last inning comeback.
Lenart gave Wagner a start in the seventh with a one-out hit up the middle, but Allie Garcia struck out the next Seahawk and got Rauscher to line out to the circle to end the game, 2-1.
With the loss the Seahawks fell to 0-4 on the early season with one game remaining at the Under Armour Invite. Wagner will take on Central Michigan tomorrow at 9:30 am. The game will be streamed live at www.tlstv.com on channel two.
