Box Score CLEARWATER, Fla. - One inning proved to be the difference in the 2016 season opener for the Eckerd softball team as Ursuline (Ohio) used a five-run sixth inning to pick up a 5-4 win over the Tritons at the Eckerd Spring Invitational.
The Tritons took a 3-0 lead into the sixth inning after plating all three runs in the bottom of the fourth. After
Kaycie Duncan led off the inning with a single,
Rachael Luckett tripled to left-center to bring in the first run of the game.
Nikole Van Gennep followed by driving in Luckett with a single to make it 2-0.
Kayla Saylor later delivered a two-out, pinch-hit RBI single but was thrown out stretching.
Van Gennep, meanwhile, was brilliant in the circle in her first college start, holding the Arrows (1-1) scoreless through the first five innings on only two hits while no runner advanced past first base.
However, Ursuline caught fire in the sixth while also benefiting from three Eckerd errors. The Arrows scored all five of their runs in the inning, taking the lead for good on a two-run single by Hannah Trent before adding an important insurance run.
Eckerd got one run back in the bottom of the inning after Van Gennep led off with a single and scored after a
Chelsea Armstrong single to center field was misplayed by Ursuline's Ashlie Brown.
The Tritons then had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh when
Carrie Shere fought back from a 1-2 count to draw a leadoff walk but was stranded at first.
Van Gennep had an impressive debut despite taking the loss, going 3-for-3 at the plate and allowing only two earned runs in the circle while striking out four. Luckett and Armstrong both had two hits for Eckerd.
The Tritons continue play in the tournament on Saturday, facing Chadron State (Neb.) at 11:00 AM and Nova Southeastern at 4:00 PM.
