The Seminoles defeat Pitt, 5-4, in the ACC Softball Championship final
Championship Page | Box Score
ATLANTA, Ga. (theACC.com) – Down two runs, with runners on first and second and two outs, Florida State’s Anna Shelnutt walked up to the plate. The sophomore catcher delivered when the Seminoles needed it most, crushing the first pitch she saw over left-center field, and giving Florida State a fifth-straight ACC Championship with a 5-4 win over second-seeded Pitt.
“Anna Schelnutt has struggled all season and she came here this weekend and had some pretty big moments for us,” said Florida State head coach Lonni Alameda. “She was gassed. When you are a catcher in this heat and you are gassed like that and dropping balls and curve balls, she was emotionally feeling it. I said ‘give me all you have. One swing of the bat.’ For her to have that moment and to realize you can struggle but if you can separate it and just be about one pitch and one at-bat you can do some things. I’m really proud of her.”
Both teams were held scoreless through the first five innings, but it was Pitt who got on the board first in the top of the sixth inning.
Catcher Giorgiana Zeremenko led off for the Panthers, with a single, and Morgan Batesole was brought in as a pinch runner. Second baseman Alexis Solak got a base hit to right field, and both Solak and Batesole advanced on a passed ball. With runners on second and third, right fielder Hunter Levesque singled to right, driving in Batesole for the first run of the game. Designated player Kaitlyn Kruger got on base after a fielder’s choice to second, and then a throwing error allowed all runners to advance and Solak to score, making it 2-0 for Pitt. Levesque scored on a wild pitch, and another passed ball allowed Kruger to touch home plate, giving the Panthers a 4-0 lead heading to the bottom of the sixth inning.
Pitcher Kayla Harris walked Florida State’s designated player Elizabeth Mason to start the bottom of the sixth, and catcher Anna Shelnutt singled to first. Sophomore Deja Bush was brought in to run for Shelnutt, and two batters later, third baseman Jessie Warren drove the ball deep to right center to knock in Mason for Florida State’s first score. At the end of the sixth inning, Pitt led 4-1.
“Pitt has had a little swag with them all weekend,” Alameda said. “They had a come from behind win against Virginia Tech. They have had a great season. They scrap it out. We knew it would be a dogfight with them the whole time. Threw a great game; hitting the corners in and out. We had many opportunities in the beginning and they shut us down. What a tremendous game. I’m really proud of our kids. This was a really good championship ball game.”
The Seminoles held Pitt scoreless in the top of the seventh inning, and Tournament MVP Sydney Sherrill got things started in the bottom with a single up the middle. Right fielder Zoe Casas and Mason were both walked, sandwiched between a flyout by left fielder Dani Morgan, loading the bases. A fielder’s choice by shortstop Cali Harrod drove in Sherrill, but got Casas out advancing to third. Shelnutt drove in Mason and Harrod with her three-run walk-off home run to seal the championship win for Florida State.
“Every team is so different,” Alameda said. “This team is so different than last year’s. We had three come-from-behind wins. We were really trying to find our identity. We shut down for a little bit when we started throwing the ball around. Our youthfulness and inexperience showed up. I said ‘we need to talk to each other. You never know one swing of the bat can change everything.’ This was a great weekend for us to build momentum for what we want in postseason.”
The NCAA Selection show is set for Sunday, May 13, at 10 p.m.
2018 ACC Softball Championship All-Tournament Team:
Anna Shelnutt, Florida State
Meghan King, Florida State
Sydney Sherrill, Florida State - Tournament MVP
Taylor Wike, North Carolina
Brittany Pickett, North Carolina
Ali Wester, Notre Dame
Cait Brooks, Notre Dame
Kayla Harris, Pitt
Erin Hershman, Pitt
McKayla Taylor, Pitt
Sarah Dawson, Pitt
