Florida State softball (7-1) didn’t stay down for long. A night after a gut‑punch loss to Texas Tech, the sixth-ranked Seminoles stormed back from a three‑run deficit Friday to beat Florida Atlantic 9-5 on Day 2 of the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational.
FSU found itself in early trouble, trailing 4-1 after FAU’s four‑run second inning. But the Seminoles answered with a four‑run fourth, sparked by three straight RBI doubles from freshmen Hayley Griggs and Makenna Sturgis and junior shortstop Isa Torres.
With the game tied at 4-4, freshman infielder Marin Heller delivered the go‑ahead RBI single, scoring Torres to put the Seminoles ahead for good.
MAKENNA STURGIS SAYS GOODBYE‼️‼️‼️
— Florida State Softball 🥎 (@FSU_Softball) February 14, 2026
TWO-RUN HOMER🍢🍢
📺ESPN+#Team43pic.twitter.com/qnbIux3HyN
FSU kept swinging. Ashtyn Danley and Anna Hinde launched back‑to‑back home runs in the fifth inning, and Sturgis added another in the seventh. Sturgis finished with a game‑high three hits and three RBI. Griggs set the tone early with an RBI triple in the first inning to give FSU an early 1-0 lead.
After FAU’s big second inning, the Owls were held scoreless in three of the final four frames. Sophomore pitcher Jazzy Francik earned the win, throwing 4.2 innings while allowing three hits and one run with three strikeouts. She improved to 4-0 on the season.
Danley started in the circle but was pulled after giving up four runs on two hits in 1.2 innings. Marlee Gaskell recorded the final two outs of the second before Francik took over.
FSU returns to the Edward C. Moore Complex on Saturday to face No. 7 UCLA at 7 p.m. The game will stream on ESPN+.
How to watch FSU softball vs. FAU
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 14
- Time: 7 p.m. EST
- Where: Edward C. Moore Complex, Clearwater, Florida
- TV/Stream: ESPN+
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: No. 6 FSU beats FAU after comeback at Clearwater Invitational