MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | For the first time in program history, Florida Memorial defeated St. Thomas 5-4 in game two of the weekend series, but the Lions eventually fell in the rubber match in the Battle of Miami Gardens.
Game One:
Lions 0 – Bobcats 4
St. Thomas scored out of the gate with two runs in the bottom of the first. An error by the Lions scored another Bobcat in the bottom of the second, followed by another run in the second inning for St. Thomas brought them out to a 4-0 lead. Unfortunately, the Lions bats became cold all game as they could not generate much offense in the series opener.
Gabriela Pinto started all six innings for the Lions and allowed six hits, four runs, three earned, four walks and struck out one batter.
Game Two:
Lions 5 – Bobcats 4
Florida Memorial opened game two with a bang as slugger McKenna Dawes generated an RBI-single in the top of the first that scored Heidy Olivo and Aashana Francis, giving FMU a 2-0 lead.
Two innings later, a Breanna Reyes RBI-single scored Olivo before a sacrifice RBI by Ciara Justice brought Reyes around the diamond to put the Lions up by four.
St. Thomas responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, making it a one-run game before the Bobcats tied the game with a run in the bottom of the sixth. In the top of the seventh, Alexandrea Matheny stepped up huge, scoring Justice off a RBI-single. The Lions shut out the Bobcats in the bottom of the seventh to grab their first win in program history against their Miami Gardens neighbors.
Rachelle Frederick started all seven innings for the Lions and allowed three hits, four runs, produced three walks and struck out two Bobcats.
Game Three:
Lions 3 – Bobcats 7
St. Thomas scored the first run in the bottom of the second before FMU responded in kind off a Dawes RBI that scored Francis in the top of the third.
Later in the inning, Ciera Taylor's two-RBI double scored Reyes and Aleah Killebrew, giving FMU a 3-1 lead. St. Thomas responded with a three-RBI home run in the bottom of the third to retake the lead in the bottom of the third. St. Thomas continued the scoring with two additional runs in the top of the fourth before scoring the final run in the fifth inning. The Lions went scoreless for the rest of the game, dropping the rubber match against the Bobcats and bringing their best season in program history to a close.
Breana Morales got the nod for the Lions and allowed eight hits, six runs (five earned) and two walks. Francis came in relief for Morales and allowed one hit, one earned run, three walks and struck out three Bobcats. Pinto finished the game on the mound and allowed one hit, one walk and struck out one Bobcat.
The Lions end the season with a 12-26 record, a massive improvement from their record of 2-31 in 2022. FMU also won a record five conference contests in the regular season.
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