Softball: Golden Panthers disappointed after promising start

By: Stephanie Gabriel / Asst Sports Director
The FIU softball team thought they were ready.
After almost upsetting No. 5 ranked Alabama on March 18 and beginning the season with their hottest start ever through 23 games, the Golden Panthers thought that beating conference rival Troy and taking an early grasp of the conference was very plausible.
FIU, however, lost its steam.
“After the loss to Alabama we were all really pumped up,” freshman Brie Rojas said on March 20. “We thought we were ready for Troy.”
The Golden Panthers (19-10, 4-2) dropped two of three games to the Trojans (17-13, 5-1) last weekend, including a 5-3 defeat on March 21 to wrap up the series.
With the win over FIU, the Trojans took an early first place standing in the Sun Belt Conference.
“This was a critical series win for us,” Troy head coach Melanie Davis said, according to troytrojans.com. “Not only does it mean a lot in the standings, but later on down the line with seedings in the conference tournament.”
Although the Trojans offense generated two home runs in the game, much of the credit is awarded to Ashlyn Williams for her performance in the pitching circle. The junior recorded 10 strikeouts on the day and three earned runs, which were tallied on homers by FIU sophomore Ashley McClain and freshman Jessy Alfonso.
Hayden Gann plastered a home run for Troy to drive in three runs during the first inning while Nikki Hollett recorded a two-run shot in the sixth.
“I’m thrilled that we bounced back from the adversity we felt on the road last week,” Davis said. “This win really showed our team’s character and inner strength.”
Meanwhile, the Golden Panthers have now suffered five losses in their last six games.
“We just need to come out more prepared,” Rojas said. “We need to have the mindset that we can play against anybody.”
FIU will look to redeem itself as the Golden Panthers hit the road again from March 27-28 for a series against Stetson in DeLand, Fla.