The Florida A&M softball team fell 10-1 to cross-town rival Florida State on Thursday at the Lady Rattler Complex, ending its three-game winning streak.
Entering the game, the two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference teams could only tweak the lineups based on previous match-ups played. After a 20 game road trip, Florida A&M seemed poised to earn a much-needed win at home against FSU but fell short.
FSU got off to an earlier start by scoring the game’s first run in the first inning after Tiffani Brown dashed home on a ground-out RBI. The Lady Rattlers answered with a left field double from junior Arianna Stewart, giving Jasmin Donaldson the opportunity to score.
After the 1-1 tie, FAMU was held to zero points for four innings because of good fielding and consistent hitting by FSU.
FAMU senior pitcher Whitney Robinson gave up six runs and split four of them with reliever Jennifer Lindsey. The Lady Rattlers’ two most reliable pitchers divided the innings pitched, with Robinson pitching 3.2 and Lindsey pitching one inning.
Robinson said this was not her usual game but was able to learn from it. She said she is hoping to harness her abilities mentally and physically in order to improve.
“This game was definitely a learning experience. Unfortunately, you’re not going to win them all,” Robinson said. “It’s about being mentally strong out there on the mound. I wish I could have pitched all seven innings but things happen.”
Robinson’s loss moved her to a 6-7 record overall.
With the experience of coaching the Lady Rattlers for 21 seasons, head coach Veronica Wiggins said she knows her team will make the proper adjustments to play at high level.
“We’re progressing each game,” Wiggins said. “This game is no different than any other game period. It’s always about how we adjust. We have to play Rattler ball, and we didn’t. We got caught up with the opponent. So we’ll take what happened, grow from it and move forward.”
FSU’s pitchers recorded five strikeouts. Freshman pitcher Lacey Waldrop earned the win, moving to 12-2 on the season.
FSU head coach Lonni Alameda put the victory in perspective, attributing the team’s humbleness and respect for their opponent.
“We’re definitely trying to get better. We have the win-loss situation in our favor,” Alameda said. “We knew we had to make some adjustments, and the big thing about coming here is the energy at this park. We could barely hear each other; it was so loud because of the crowd.”
Florida A&M looks to regroup Saturday, as it will take on Mercer University in a double header at the Lady Rattlers Complex at 1 p.m.