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| Lawton (FSW athletics) |
Top-seeded Florida SouthWestern State College opened the NJCAA Division I Softball National Championship with a 5-1 win over No. 16 South Georgia State on Wednesday at the Canyons Complex in St. George, Utah.
Former Holy Cross star Sarah Lawton got a chance to pitch in her first national tournament game, and she had to have had some butterflies in her stomach while in the circle. Lawton came on in the sixth inning and gave up a two-out double before getting a grounder to short to end the frame.
In the seventh, Lawton picked up two outs, but gave up a run on two hits and walked a pair of batters. Starter Kelsi Collins reentered the game and picked up the final out with the bases loaded.
Lawton pitched an inning total and threw 37 pitches, 22 for strikes. It may have been a little shaky, but it was also the first time the freshman has pitched in a game of such magnitude in with the Bucs.
FSW (52-3) is in the winner’s bracket and will play No. 8 Seminole State of Oklahoma (47-5) today at 4:30 p.m. The FSW softball website has links to Facebook live and live stats from the game, so check those out.
