Box Score
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Shelby Talon hit a three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, ending a dramatic Sunshine State Conference contest in extra innings over the Eckerd College softball program on Friday night, 5-2.
Talon's blast ended a near two-hour opener to begin a three-game Sunshine State Conference series at the AD Griffin Complex.
The Tritons (12-14, 0-4 SSC) temporarily neutralized a two-run deficit in the sixth inning against the Sharks (13-13, 2-5 SSC), who rode the coattails of an 11-strikeout effort from starter Jennie Von Doellen.
EC, which equaled the program's win total from a year ago thanks to a doubleheader sweep against Dominican (N.Y.) College earlier this week, remains in search of its first conference win this season.
Eckerd reached Von Doellen for three hits and the tying runs in the sixth beginning with a single to lead off the inning by sophomore
Sabrina Lolo.
After Lolo advanced on a sacrifice bunt from junior
Chelsea Jeffares, freshman
Kaycie Duncan and sophomore
Brittany Mitchell unleashed back-to-back two-out RBI hits.
After Duncan's 13th RBI of the spring plated Lolo, Mitchell drove in her teammate with extra bases on a triple to the right center gap to reset the score at 2-2.
Duncan went 1-for-3 to continue to lead the team in batting average at a .370 clip. She has recorded a hit in 14 of her last 15 games played.
After senior
Logan Rohrbach was just one out away from sending the game into the top of the ninth, the Sharks had back-to-back two-out hits from Chrissy Tabulov and Elizabeth Spring, effectively setting the table for Talon, the team's No. 8 hitter.
Prior to the three-run blast, Rohrbach had tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. Her record in the circle moved to 2-3 on the season.
Junior
Whitney Bernier went three innings, allowing two runs on five hits in the no-decision effort.
The Tritons and Sharks will meet for a Saturday doubleheader with the first pitch of game one set for 1 p.m.
