Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After taking game one of the series last night, the Eckerd baseball team completed the weekend sweep over Colorado Christian with a 12-0 rout.
The Tritons (3-1) overpowered the Cougars with 16 hits, 13 of which were singles, from nine different batters. The bulk of Eckerd's scoring came in two innings.
First, EC scored five runs in the second before bringing five more across the plate in the eighth inning. Colorado Christian (2-5) was held to just three hits on the afternoon as it faced a variety of Triton arms.
Branden Amenta led the game off with a single for CCU, but was picked off by
Dillon McCollough at first base. EC's defense then held the Cougars hitless after giving up a 2-out single by Ben Gooch in the second until the eighth inning when Jack Nelson led off with a single up the middle.
Lucas Luopa went a perfect 4-for-4 including a two-RBI single in the second that put EC ahead 4-0.
Rowdy Andrews,
Nick Conti,
Matt MacMahon, and
Nick Hill all had two hits on the afternoon.
Tom Buonopane,
Tyler Koser, and Conti supplied the only extra base hits on the night with a double each.
Once the Tritons reached base, they continued to apply pressure on the base paths with six players stealing a total of seven bases. Hill was accountable for a pair. The aggression aided the Tritons in accumulating 11 RBIs with four different players recording two each.
The victory wasn't only won at the plate. Eckerd committed just one error in the top of the second inning while a group of six pitchers struck out nine batters.
McCollough (1-0) earned the victory in his first collegiate appearance as he struck out four batters and allowed two hits over four innings of work.
Juan Ranero then went to the bullpen for the next five innings to provide seasoning to his staff.
Jack Mahan impressed in the ninth striking out two of the three batters he faced, the first of which he fought from behind on a 3-0 count.
The 12-run victory is the largest margin for Eckerd since February 5, 2013 when the Tritons defeated Clearwater Christian, 20-3.
The next outing for the Tritons is next Wednesday, February 17, as EC plays host to Ave Maria University. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 pm at the Turley Athletic Complex.
