Florida State softball: Seminoles have won 11 straight games, will be tested over next 4 games

Florida State softball hit a plateau Sunday that not many in Tallahassee will bat an eye for with their 20th win of the season.

The No. 5 Seminoles are up to 20 wins in just 23 games so far this season and have already shown they can compete against some of the best competition in college softball.

FSU has won 11 straight since a 2-1 loss to Alabama in Clearwater, outscoring opponents 84-17 in that span, including a 43-4 margin this weekend in the Dugout Club Classic.

The Seminoles wrapped up their weekend with a combined no-hitter, with Mack Leonard, Allison Royalty, Maddi Balk and Kat Sandercock combining for the first no-hitter since May 20, 2022 (Danielle Watson). It was the 32nd under head coach Lonni Alameda.

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FSU, of course, knows, what it does against opponents like North Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Colgate, UMass and others won't determine how it'll do come May and June in the NCAA Tournament.

The Seminoles were handed an early exit last season and are continuing to ramp up for a bigger run.

FSU will continue to challenge itself early in the season with a three-game road series beginning Friday at No. 3 Oklahoma State. The series commences at 7 p.m. Friday, with games on Saturday and Sunday to follow (3 p.m.).

The Seminoles will remain on the road and play No. 1 Oklahoma at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 14 to conclude the four-game trip.

Quick work of opponents

FSU's offense can strike quickly, while the pitching and defense have been stingy. That makes games end relatively quickly for the Seminoles.

On Saturday, Georgia Southern lost 4-0 to FSU, which was the only game of the weekend for the Seminoles to last all seven innings.

FSU opened the tournament with an 8-0 five-inning win over UMass and went on to defeat Colgate in six later in the day and 13-2 in five innings Saturday.

Katie Dack continues to dominate at the plate

The Texas A&M transfer continues to slug away for the Seminoles, making an early impression on the squad.

Through her first 23 games with the team, she leads the team with seven home runs and 19 RBI, to go along with a .426/.507/.907 (average/on-base/slugging) for FSU.

Jahni Kerr is hitting .396 and has added four home runs, while Michaela Edenfield and Kalei Harding each have added three home runs to give the team a strong power presence.

Sandercock leads the way in the circle

It's no surprise the Seminoles' will go as far as their senior from McLean, Va. takes them.

Sandercock has only allowed one earned since taking a tough-luck loss to Montana Fouts and Alabama, reasserting her dominance as one of the top pitchers in college softball.

This weekend, she made three appearances (one start) and pitched 10 innings, allowing no runs on four hits. She did that while striking out 11 hitters and walking none.

On the season, Sandercock has a 6-2 record, a 1.24 ERA (which would be a career-low), in 50 ⅔ innings. She has struck out 40 and walked just three in 14 appearances (five starts).

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU softball: Seminoles next four games will be more tests for 2023 season