GAINESVILLE - Florida State pitcher Jessica van der Linden hadn't allowed a home run since late March. And she allowed only one hit until the seventh inning Thursday before a home run by Texas-Arlington's Jenna Fortune. It was enough to hand the second-seeded Seminoles a 1-0 loss to the No. 7 Mavericks in the first round of the NCAA Region tournament.
It was the first FSU loss since March 14.
"We just need to be able to hit the ball," van der Linden said.
Katy Cox (28-6) pitched a complete game for the Mavericks, allowing six hits with eight strikeouts while van der Linden (18-5) allowed three hits and struck out seven.
The Seminoles, who are attempting to reach their second straight and seventh overall College World Series, face No. 6 Oregon State in an elimination game. The Beavers lost to No. 3 Florida 3-2 after leading by one through the fifth inning. Jackie Marchetta scored the go-ahead for Florida with no outs in the bottom of the seventh.
Junior Jenny Gladding (23-13) pitched a complete game for the Gators, allowing two runs and seven hits while striking out five. Florida faces Texas-Arlington this afternoon.
No. 4 seed South Florida also advanced to the second round with a 7-3 win against No. 5 Florida Atlantic.
Bulls pitcher Leigh Ann Ellis (34-9) gave up two runs and six hits, striking out three in six innings. Katie Dugger relieved Ellis, allowing one run and three hits. USF will face top-seeded Oklahoma, which advanced with a 5-1 win against Bethune-Cookman.
