Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - For the third straight game, the Eckerd softball team had the winning run on base in the bottom of the seventh inning but couldn't push it across as Barry University completed a weekend sweep with a 3-1 win on Saturday morning.
The Tritons (23-16-1, 7-8 SSC) scored a run and loaded the bases in the final frame, but Barry's Anieliese Palmeiro recorded the final out in relief of Geneva Santos to earn her second save of the series.
It marked the third time in the weekend series in which Eckerd staged a seventh-inning rally but came up just short.
Barry (16-13, 11-7 SSC) again built an early lead on a two-out single by Alayna Gallagher in the second. The Bucs struck again with two outs in the third inning via a Sam Busekrus RBI double and in the fourth with a triple by Megan Copeland to extend their lead to 3-0.
Meanwhile, Eckerd had trouble putting runners on base early against Santos with only one hit through the first four innings. The Tritons began to catch up to her, though, and threatened in the fifth inning by putting two runners on after a
Stephanie Wolfrom walk and
Kiley King single.Â
Kaleigh Floyd then hit a hard shot up the middle, but Santos snagged it to escape the jam.
EC finally broke through in the seventh with back-to-back one-out singles by
Dana Paul and King, followed by a two-out single by
Kaycie Duncan to load the bases.Â
Carrie Shere then worked deep in the count to draw a bases-loaded walk to put the Tritons on the board. Palmeiro, who picked up a save and a win in Friday's double-header, relieved Santos and got out of the jam by getting a pop-up in foul territory.
Duncan and King both had two hits for Eckerd.Â
Nikole Van Gennep (14-11) took the loss, allowing three runs on eight hits over seven innings.
The Tritons return to action next weekend, hosting Florida Tech in a three-game Sunshine State Conference series.
