Trio of Home Runs Power Softball to Nighttime Split Against Southeastern

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Juniors Sydney Dinelli and Erin Dixson and sophomore Kaycie Duncan, each hit home runs as the Eckerd College softball program powered its way to a doubleheader split against Southeastern University on Wednesday evening.

The Tritons (19-19, 5-10 SSC) won game one, 4-3, before the Fire (25-12, 2-4 TSC) which won six of its last seven coming in, emerged as the victor in extras in game two, a 4-3 final in the eighth inning.

This marked the third time Eckerd and Southeastern were supposed to play this spring after the scheduled season opener for both teams was rained out and yesterday's doubleheader was postponed.

The Tritons and Fire also split last year, the first season of the Southeastern softball program's existence.

Game 1 – Eckerd 4, Southeastern 3

Dinelli and Dixson belted respective homers in back-to-back fashion as their powerful swings overcame a two-run deficit.

Dinelli crushed a two-run shot in the fourth inning, her second of the spring that crashed off the bottom corner of the scoreboard out in left. Dixson followed with her fourth home run of the season, a solo blast to the deepest part of the park that gave the Tritons a 3-2 lead.

Neither team had a hit through first three innings of play, but the Fire managed to produce the early lead following a pair of errant throws in the second and fourth innings.

Dixson helped her own cause at the plate and snapped a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs, lining a hard-hit ball past the left fielder as Kara Oberer trotted home as the winning run.

To pick up her 11th win in the circle, Dixson extinguished the Fire in order with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to go the distance. She scattered four hits and gave up just two earned runs while striking out three.

Game 2 – Southeastern 4, Eckerd 3 (8 innings)

A few hard-hit balls sprayed to all parts of the outfield didn't quite go towards Eckerd's way as the Fire escaped following three scoreless innings after a 3-3 tie unfolded.

Duncan ripped a three-run shot to right center in the third inning that gave the Tritons a 3-2 lead, again representing the second time of the night when the Tritons rallied from two runs down.

Freshman Caitlin Belber led off the sixth with a pinch-hit single, the first hit in her career, and advanced all the way to third before the inning ended. She represented Eckerd's best chance to push across another run.

The Fire manufactured the tying run on an infield single in the fourth as EC starter Amber Hay went above and beyond to give her team the best chance to win.
In extras, Dixson nearly tied it up with a single off the right-field wall that was about a foot away from leaving the park for a home run.

Up Next: The Tritons will welcome Saint Leo University this weekend for a three-game Sunshine State Conference series at the Turley Athletic Complex.