In the scorebook, it’s just a single line. But in the 2026 Florida State softball season, it’s a harsh penalty.
“Hinde, Anna out at third base, ss unassisted, runner left early.”
The stat doesn’t mention that Hinde was at second base, with the bases loaded, and that she was one of three runs that scored for FSU on a base hit in the third inning. Or that her early departure was caught by UCF and flagged for a replay. UCF won the appeal and, just like that, three runs and an FSU lead were removed from the scoreboard.
Izzy Mertes’ two-run home run in the fourth inning lifted UCF to a 4-2 win over FSU in the Tallahassee Regional final on Sunday afternoon.
If sports are indeed a game of inches, Hinde’s foot off the bag at second base was likely less than a cleat in length. But it ended up being among the biggest plays in Sunday’s winner-take-all regional final.
“Anna is a little emotional and she felt like she let the team down for sure,” FSU coach Lonni Alameda said. “It’s a game of softball and there are so many moments in the game. It just happened to be hers. She was feeling it. It’s going to take some time for her to get over that. But it was not on her. It was on all of us. We had swings and pitches that whole time.”
A second big decision: Alameda’s move to take Ashtyn Danley from the circle in the bottom of the fourth inning in favor of Bella Dimitrijevic. But after a rare Isa Torres fielding error, there was a mistake pitch as Mertes drilled a home run to left-center field as UCF grabbed a 4-2 lead. A ground out and a single later, Alameda removed Dimitrijevic (8-4) for Danley.
Alameda said she went to Dimitrijevic to try and get some outs, buying some rest for Danley and Jazzy Francik.
“I thought the righty stack (in the lineup) was a good one for us on that side,” Alameda said. “Hindsight is 20-20, when you’re looking at it. She’s got a good rise ball and a good little change-up. … I think Bella’s got some really good stuff and she’s been in some really good situations.”
Hinde also had an RBI single in the third for FSU (52-10), which was constantly battling back from a deficit throughout the second game.
Jaysoni Beachum went 2 for 2 with a pair of walks in her four trips to the plate in game 2.
FSU won the early game 2-1 against UCF to force the decisive second game of the regional. Jazzy Francik (24-3) allowed just one earned run on two hits and a walk in 6.1 innings. Francik, the ACC’s pitcher of the year, had four strikeouts.
Hayley Griggs and Hinde each had home runs for FSU in the first game of the day.
The reality is Hinde was one of the nine freshmen that helped FSU earn an ACC championship. And earn a spot in the regional final. But she will no doubt remember her early takeoff as opposed to the flight of her home runs or her RBI.
UCF (41-17-1) will play the winner of the UCLA regional in a best-of-three super regional.
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