Softball Splits Double Header on First Day of FGCU Invitational

Friday, February 16

Fort Myers, Fla.

11 AM

University of Delaware

3-3

Middle Tennessee

0-6

MTSU

DELAWARE

Photo by: Michael Riccio

Softball Splits Double Header on First Day of FGCU Invitational

2/16/2024 12:51:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

FORT MYERS, Fla. - University of Delaware softball split a double header on day one of the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. The Blue Hens beat Middle Tennesse State University, 2-0 in the firs game as Emily Winburn threw her 16th career shutout and Gianna Costaro hit her second career home run. The hosts, Florida Gulf Coast, defeated Delaware, 2-0, in the second game.

HEN HIGHLIGHTS VS MTSU

Winburn went all seven innings and allowed just one extra base hit to go with three strikeouts and zero runs.
Costaro homered and was hit by a pitch.
Sydney Shaffer went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk.
Chloe Blantz had a double, a walk, a run scored, and a stolen base.

HEN HIGHLIGHTS VS FGCU

Morgan Hess pitched 4.1 innings, struck out three, walked one, and allowed four hits.
Winburn came on in relief and allowed just a hit and a walk with a strikeout in 1.2 innings pitched.
Julz Garber went 1-for-3 with a walk.
Blantz went 1-for-2.
Costaro went 1-for-3.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS MTSU

Winburn stranded a runner at third base in the opening inning. In the bottom half, Delaware strung together a two-out rally after Blantz walked and stole second base. Shaffer singled her home for the first run of the game.
Winburn coaxed three groundouts in the second inning and pitched a scoreless third inning after Maddie Fife caught a runner stealing second base.
Delaware's defense turned a 5-4-3 double play in the fourth. Winburn escaped a jam in the fifth after two walks, getting a ground out to second base to end the inning.
Costaro led off the bottom of the fifth with a home run to left center to add an insurance run.
Winburn worked out of trouble in the seventh to preserve Delaware's win. Two singles and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for MTSU, but Winburn and Blantz got the final out after a popup for the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS FGCU

Julia Boyet helped Hess out of the first inning by turning a 5-3 double play after a lineout.
Hess pitched a perfect second inning with a strikeout and stranded a runner on second base in the third inning.
Another perfect inning in the fourth for Hess kept the game scoreless.
A single, hit by pitch, and walk loaded the bases for FGCU in the bottom of the fifth inning. A sacrifice fly and an infield single brought up the first two runs of the game, but Winburn stranded the bases loaded to end the inning.
Winburn pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth inning, but Delaware went down in order in the top of the seventh.

GAME NOTES

Winburn's game against MTSU was the 100th appearance of her career, the seventh Delaware pitcher all-time with 100 pitching appearances.
Her win was the 52nd of her career, trailing just Carolyn Sloat (63) and Kristi O'Connell (58) in Delaware history. Her complete game was also the 38th of her career, now tying her with Jenn Joseph for ninth in UD history.
Winburn has won three consecutive decisions.
Garber and Blantz have a hit in five of the seven games played.
Costaro has a hit in five of her six first career games.

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