5/19/2023 other sports Edit

FSU softball gets no-hitter, three HRs in NCAA Tournament opener

Mack Leonard tossed four no-hit innings in FSU's win over Marist. (FSU sports information)

Bob Ferrante • TheOsceola

Editor

Florida State’s first game of the NCAA Tournament couldn’t have gone any better.

Mack Leonard tossed four no-hit innings, while Michaela Edenfield, Kalei Harding and Katie Dack smashed two-run home runs and the FSU softball team routed Marist 9-0 in the first game of the Tallahassee Regional on Friday afternoon. Edenfield and Dack each enjoyed their 11th of the season.

Dack’s no-doubt shot in the bottom of the fifth inning ended the game on the run-rule and gave the Seminoles an early celebration in a game that went under two hours.

"Really proud of this squad," FSU coach Lonni Alameda said. "Mack set it off for us, setting the tone of getting some good outs there and then swinging the bat. Step one for us. Excited for tomorrow."

FSU (51-8) recorded 10 hits to Saturday’s 1 p.m. game against UCF.

Leonard hit a double against the right-field wall in the bottom of the third to score Harding and put FSU on the board, the start of a five-run inning. It was Leonard’s 15th double of the season, and she won her first game of the season.

Jahni Kerr, Devyn Flaherty and Harding each went 2 for 3 for the Seminoles. FSU played home run derby, with all three of the home runs no-doubters. Harding's went into the road on Spirit Way beyond the left-field wall.

"Girl, you smacked it," Edenfield said to laughter in the postgame interviews.

Edenfield, of course, had a home run — her first since April.

Reid got two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 fifth to set down Marist. Leonard was asked if she was bothered by being pulled after four innings with the no-hitter in tact, but the veteran underscored Alameda's philosophy of sharing the workload.

"We have always been pitching by committee this whole season, giving Makenna some innings at start of regionals," Leonard said. "Great experience for her too. Super proud of her. We always understand and we know my role and my role isn’t to go five, six, seven innings. My role is one, maybe two times through the lineup and go from there."

UCF defeated South Carolina 6-1 in the evening game on Friday.