Tritons Split on Friday at NFCA Leadoff Classic

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Eckerd softball team opened play at the NFCA Division II Leadoff Classic on Friday splitting a pair of games at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex losing to Central Missouri, 4-3, before closing the day with a 9-4 win over Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.).

In the second game, Eckerd (3-5) posted a season-high 11 hits while jumping out to an 8-0 lead after four innings.

Some aggressive baserunning in the first inning led to two runs.  After back-to-back singles by Crystal Garcia and Rachael Luckett, the duo successfully pulled off a double-steal and took an additional base on a Trevecca throwing error.  Chelsea Armstrong's sacrifice fly later scored Luckett.

Luckett delivered again in the bottom of the second inning with the bases loaded, ripping a two-strike, two-out double to clear the bases and put the Tritons up, 5-0.

Another Luckett double in the fourth set the table for Carrie Shere, who blasted her first home run of the year over the left-center field fence.  Dana Paul followed an RBI double to score Armstrong, who reached via walk.

The Trojans (0-1) stayed alive by scoring twice in the top of the fifth while ending the no-hit bid of EC's Grace Willeck, who held them hitless through the first four innings.

Armstrong brought in Kayelee Newstrom from third in the bottom of the inning with her second sacrifice fly to make it a 9-2 Triton lead.

TNU scored two again in the sixth on a two-run home run by Alex Richardson, but Nikole Van Gennep entered in relief and kept the Trojans off the scoreboard for the rest of the game.

In the day's opener, Central Missouri (4-3) scored all four of its runs in the third inning, then held on for the win.

The Tritons scored in the top of the third taking the lead on a single by Shere to score Garcia.  Eckerd then pulled back within a run in the fifth after a Shere RBI double and a successful squeeze bunt by Paul.

But UCM's Alexa Bradley only allowed one baserunner in the final two innings and retired the side in the seventh to finish the game.

Willeck (2-1) earned the win in game two, allowing four runs on four hits in 4-1/3 innings.  Van Gennep (1-4) took the loss in the opener, allowing four runs on six hits in four innings.  Janna Gaburo pitched two innings of hitless relief in game one.

Garcia had a huge day at the plate and on the bases, going a combined 6-for-9 with five stolen bases.  Luckett went 3-for-4 in the second game while Shere went 2-for-4 in both games.  Paul also had two hits in the opener.  Armstrong extended her streak of reaching base safely to eight games, drawing walks in both contests.

The Tritons play twice again tomorrow in Clearwater, facing Georgia College at 10:00 AM and No. 24 California (Penn.) at 3:00 PM.