Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd softball team got its final home series of the season off to a blazing start with a 14-1 victory in five innings over Embry-Riddle (Fla.) on Friday night at the Turley Athletic Complex.
The Tritons (27-21-1) scored all of their runs in the first three innings, cruising to their first run-rule victory of the season.
Kaycie Duncan got things started quickly in the bottom of the first, following a
Rachael Luckett walk with a two-run home run (7) over the right field fence. Though ERAU starter Alice Donohoe managed to get out of the inning without any further damage, Eckerd hit the ball hard and it turned out to be a sign of things to come.
Chelsea Armstrong and
Dana Paul opened the second with back-to-back doubles, starting what turned out to be a seven-run inning. More than half of the damage came with two outs on a two-run single by
Nikole Van Gennep and a two-run double by Armstrong, her second of the inning.
Van Gennep and Armstrong again produced RBIs with two outs in the third inning. Van Gennep doubled home two runs before Armstrong's single between the first and second basemen brought in two more to extend Eckerd's lead to 14-0.
Embry-Riddle pushed its only run of the game across the plate in the top of the fourth on a two-out single by Gabriella Obia, spoiling the shutout bid for Van Gennep (15-16). The freshman allowed just five hits in the game and struck out four.
Armstrong was a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBIs in the win while Van Gennep added two hits and four RBIs.
The series concludes on Saturday with a double-header beginning at 1:00 PM. The program's three seniors - Duncan,
Brittany Martinez and
Stephanie Wolfrom - will be honored before the first game.
