ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Sophomore
Kara Oberer belted a pair of home runs in game one as the Eckerd College softball program split against Warner University on Tuesday, winning 7-2, and falling 2-0 in eight innings to conclude game two.
Oberer drilled her second and third homers of the spring and had a total of five runs batted in for the Tritons (13-10, 3-3 SSC) in the opener to help back another strong start for junior
Erin Dixson.
In the process, Eckerd head coach
Josh Beauregard mounted career win No. 103 to his ledger, ultimately tying him with Nancy Roby (1991-1998) for the distinction of sharing the most wins all-time within the program.
Warner eventually outlasted Eckerd in game two to force the split, which ended with Texas tiebreaker criteria deciding the final score as the Royals scratched out both runs in the top of the eighth inning.
The Tritons and Royals (7-9, 0-0 SSC) clashed for the second time this spring after Eckerd swept a doubleheader in Lake Wales by scores of 7-0 and 3-0.
Senior
Chelsea Jeffares was a home run shy of the cycle in game one, doubling in her first plate appearance, legging out a triple in her second at-bat and lining a single in between a sacrifice bunt.
Dixson went the distance for her 10th complete game of the season and helped her own cause at the plate, ripping a two-run, two-out double to close a four-run third inning for the Eckerd offense.
Two at-bats prior in a 2-2 count, Oberer left the park with a two-run shot over the fence in right center, scoring sophomore
Kirby Parnell, who began the inning with an infield single.
Oberer began the afternoon as the 10th-best hitter in the Sunshine State Conference, sporting a .353 average after stringing together a 5-for-10 effort last week. She also ranked eighth in the league in runs scored.
Her second blast was a three-run shot in yet another two-out situation as she deposited a Lindsey Martin 0-1 offering over the fence in left.
After tossing a one-hit shutout in her first go at the Warner offense, Dixson only gave up two runs on five hits. She recorded four strikeouts, including a strong top half of the first inning when she struck out the side.
Junior
Amber Hay was unhittable in game two through the first seven innings as she went toe-to-toe with Warner starter Chelsie Valentine. She still finished the entire eight innings in the circle and was touched up for just three hits on the night to get the tough-luck loss.
Valentine struck out the side in order to preserve the Royals' two-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning when the Tritons were down to their final three outs.
The Tritons are back in the SSC schedule this weekend in a three-game series at Rollins College in Winter Park. Friday's game will start at 6 p.m. before a doubleheader takes place on Saturday at 1 p.m.
