ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A pair of early-inning outbursts for Davenport (Mich.) put the Eckerd baseball team in a difficult position on Tuesday night, and the Tritons were never able to recover in a 15-5 loss to the visiting Panthers at the Turley Athletic Complex.
Davenport scored four runs in the second and five in the third - both innings featuring home runs by Jacob Buchberger - before tacking on another four in the fifth for what turned out to be an insurmountable lead.
The game wrapped up a nine-game homestand for Eckerd.
HOW IT ENDED
Final: Davenport 15, Eckerd 5
Records: Eckerd 5-7, Davenport 4-2
WP: Palmbos (1-0) Â
LP: Martin (0-2) Â
HR: Buchberger 2 (2)
KEY MOMENTS
- After both teams were held scoreless in the first inning, Davenport put four runs on the board in the top of the second. Â Buchberger hit the first of his two home runs on the first pitch he saw from Drew Martin, sending a two-run shot over the centerfield fence for a 3-0 lead. Â Alex Huard added a two-out RBI single later in the frame.
- Eckerd got two runs back in the bottom of the inning thanks in part to a two-out, bases-loaded error. Â Garrett Hiott then added EC's second run with an infield single on a full count.
- Buchberger delivered again in the top of the third, this time blasting a grand slam to give the Panthers a 9-2 lead.
- Davenport added to its lead in the fifth inning with four more runs, three of which came before Eckerd recorded an out.
- Eckerd scored a run in the bottom of the sixth without getting a hit. Â Keith Leavitt, Jr. walked, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch. Â The Tritons later loaded the bases in the inning but left them all stranded.
- EC added two more runs in the seventh on an RBI single by Andrew Don before Leavitt, Jr. scored again on a wild pitch.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Sam Cochrane extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a single down the third base line in his final at-bat of the night.
- Eckerd used eight pitchers in the game and received scoreless innings of relief from Jarid Salisbury, Luis Duran, and Cam Smalley.
- Leavitt, Jr. swiped his team-leading sixth base of the season.
UP NEXT
The Tritons travel for the first time since opening weekend, visiting Florida Tech on Friday and Saturday for a three-game series.
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