Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd softball team earned its first conference win in dramatic fashion on Saturday with
Rachael Luckett delivering a walkoff double in a 3-2 victory over Rollins at the Turley Athletic Complex.
Luckett wasted no time in coming up with the game-winner, cranking the first pitch of the at-bat into the right-center gap.
Her hit was the final in a run of three straight off Rollins' Sarah Piening in the seventh. Â
Kaleigh Floyd and
Crystal Garcia both singled with one out on hard shots to the left side of the field, setting the stage for Luckett's RBI double.
Before the clutch hitting in the seventh, Eckerd (12-18, 1-6 SSC) got clutch pitching and defense in the fifth and sixth innings.
After the Tars scored twice in the fourth to tie the game at 2-2, they then loaded the bases in the fifth against
Nikole Van Gennep. Â Van Gennep, however, got Rachel Minier to line out to
Kiley King at second, who secured the out with a shoestring grab.
One inning later, Rollins again loaded the bases after
Janna Gaburo issued three walks but she stranded them all after getting Kacie Booth to fly out to shallow center.
Gaburo (3-2) retired the side in the seventh, setting the stage for Eckerd to score the winning run.
The Tritons took an early 2-0 lead via a two-out RBI single by
Chelsea Armstrong in the first and a pair of errors on sacrifice bunts in the second that allowed
Carrie Shere to score.
Van Gennep breezed through the first 3-2/3 innings before Rollins (22-12, 4-3 SSC) strung together three straight hits with two outs to tie the game in the fourth.
Eckerd outhit the Tars, 9-5, with two hits each from Floyd, Luckett and Armstrong. Â Gaburo earned the win with two hitless innings of relief.
The two teams finish the weekend series with a doubleheader on Sunday at 1:00 PM.
