ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.- The Eckerd softball team looks to snap its five-game losing streak as the Tritons host Lynn University for a three-game conference series this weekend at the Turley Athletic Complex.
GAMES 38-40: Lynn University (20-13, 7-5 SSC) at Eckerd College (13-24, 2-10 SSC) |
Friday 7:00 PMÂ |
Saturday (DH) 12:00 PM
Turley Athletic Complex
Coverage:
Stats |
Video
MIDWEEK MATCHUP
- The Tritons dropped two games to No. 5 Valdosta State on Tuesday. EC lost the first game by a score of 10-0 in five innings. They looked to bounce back in the second game taking a 3-1 lead into the seventh before losing in a heartbreaker, 7-3, on a walk-off grand slam.
- In the second game, Eckerd took advantage of several Blazer miscues allowing
Carrie Shere and
Kali Matthias to score in the sixth inning. After
Rachael Luckett singled to lead off the seventh,
Chelsea Armstrong then sliced a ball down the right-field line to bring in Luckett to take a 3-1 lead. The Tritons, however, were not able to come away with the win as they fell to a walk-off grand slam with one out in the seventh.
Avery Wakefield went a perfect 3-for-3 in the loss.
LEADING THE WAY
- Luckett sets the table for the Tritons with a .305 batting average and .407 slugging percentage. The first basemen has driven in 14 runs while smacking seven doubles, one triple, and one home run. Luckett is among the top ten leaders in the conference in several categories including runs scored (26), hits (37), at-bats (118), and walks (17).
- Armstrong is hitting .265 while driving in a team-high 19 runs. The third baseman has only five strikeouts this season, tied for fifth-lowest in the conference.
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Crystal Garcia (.286) leads the Tritons on the bases with 17 steals, ranking fifth in the conference. Garcia also leads the team in multi-hit games (9).
IN THE CIRCLE
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Nikole Van Gennep provides most of the innings for the Tritons in the circle. The sophomore leads the way with a 2.08 ERA over 145 innings. Van Gennep has fanned 69 batters, seventh in the conference
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Grace Willeck and
Janna Gaburo have split time working behind Van Gennep. Gaburo (3-4) carries a 4.45 ERA over 44 innings while striking out 11. Willeck maintains a 4.63 ERA with 48 punch-outs over 59 innings.
ABOUT THE FIGHTING KNIGHTS
- The Knights took the series from SSC provisional member Palm Beach Atlantic this week, two games to one. Lynn has also grabbed a win against Tampa and Saint Leo, the top two seeds in the conference.
- Francais Olexa and Karolina Flores lead the team batting .339 and .364 respectively. Flores leads the power for the Knights smacking 10 doubles, three triples, and three home runs.
- Olexa's 1.29 ERA is second in the conference while her 94 strikeouts rank third. Katelyn Key and Kayla Sheffield work behind Olexa each pitching 49 innings with 2.26 and 2.14 ERAs.
LAST TIME THEY MET
- Eckerd took the series from Lynn last season, two games to one. Eckerd also took a non-conference win over the Knights last season in the Eckerd Invitational.
- Four Tritons hit home runs last year in the series as Shere, Van Gennep, and Willeck hit solo shots while Armstrong smacked a grand slam.
