Isa Torres has seven hits as FSU softball sweeps NC State

The No. 8 Florida State softball team rode a 10-game winning streak entering the weekend series against conference opponent North Carolina State.

The Seminoles (33-5, 9-0 ACC) swept the series to remain perfect in conference play and extended their winning streak to 13 games.

Sophomore infielder Isa Torres was the star of the series as she continued to swing a hot bat. Torres accounted for seven hits, three RBI and one home run. She also had a memorable walk-off hit in the series against the Wolfpack.

“I think the one thing that I have learned and have seen this season is Isa is the same, no matter we’re up by 10, down by 10, tie ballgame,” FSU coach Lonni Alameda said. “She relies on her tools, she really understands her abilities and I just really appreciate that about her. As a sophomore, that’s really cool as a coach to see.”

On Friday, at JoAnne Graf Field, FSU played its annual “Paint it Pink” game.

Senior transfer pitcher/infielder Annabelle Widra got the start for the Seminoles on Friday night and pitched five innings, only giving up one run.

FSU's bats got off to a hot start in the bottom of the first inning when Torres ripped a second-pitch double off the left-center field wall. Fellow sophomore infielder Jaysoni Beachum followed up with a double but Torres ended up getting caught in a run down as she rounded third base to head for home.

Torres had other plans as she was able to maneuver her way back to third base in time before the tag. This type of effort and headiness from Torres is something fans of Florida State softball have grown accustomed to as she drew a huge ovation from the home crowd. Michaela Edenfield drove in both sophomores with a two-run double, and Katie Dack followed with an RBI single to give the Seminoles an early 3-0 lead heading into the top of the second inning.

Torres continued her hot streak in her second at-bat when she crushed a 2-run home run to extend FSU's lead 5-0. The Seminoles were clearly the better team on Friday night and would cruise to an easy 6-1 victory.

The game was a bit closer than many fans of the Garnet and Gold would have liked. The weather was beautiful and sunny in Tallahassee, but the game between Florida State and North Carolina State was anything but a breeze as both teams headed to extra innings.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, with one out and the bases loaded, Torres blasted an opposite-field shot to the left-center field wall as the Seminoles took a 5-4 win.

On Sunday, FSU went for the sweep but rainy weather in the early morning hours had other plans. The game started on time but there were numerous delays in the first two innings as the rain continued while the dirt in the infield began to get a little muddy.

“Sometimes in Tallahassee, we know it doesn’t show up that it’s going to rain and all of a sudden, it’s raining,” Alameda said. “I think we know our field and we just had a lot of moisture built in it. AAnd so even if it was tarped, it would have just pulled the moisture up.”

By the bottom of the fourth inning, the rain had cleared but the score was tied at three.

Edenfield drove in Beachum and Torres, while Dack had a sacrifice fly RBI to extend the Seminoles' lead to 6-3 heading into the top of the fifth inning. An insurance run by senior outfielder Jahni Kerr in the sixth inning gave the Seminoles a comfortable lead heading into the seventh inning. Florida State held on 7-4 to complete the sweep.

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