Eckerd Takes Two From Davis & Elkins

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd softball team took both ends of a doubleheader from Davis & Elkins (W.V.) on a chilly Wednesday afternoon at the Turley Athletic Complex, rallying in game one for a late-inning victory before pounding 13 hits in the finale.

Nikole Van Gennep homered in both games, the first in the form of a two-run shot that tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh.  She also went the distance to record the win in the circle in the opener.

Eckerd then scored four runs in the third inning of the finale via homeruns by Van Gennep and Madison Saltzman, overcoming a three-run first by the Senators.

HOW IT ENDED
Game 1
Final: Eckerd 4, Davis & Elkins 3 (8 innings)
WP: Van Gennep (6-6)  LP: Tobin (0-2)  HR: Van Gennep (5)

Game 2
Final: Eckerd 7, Davis & Elkins 4
WP: Saltzman (1-1)  LP: Allee (1-5)  HR: Van Gennep (6), Saltzman (1)
Records: Eckerd 9-11; Davis & Elkins 1-13

KEY MOMENTS
Game 1

• Neither team scored in the first four innings. Van Gennep, in fact, was perfect through four after retiring the first 12 batters she faced. Eckerd had an opportunity in the second after loading the bases with one out but did not push a run across.
• A leadoff walk in the top of the fifth turned into the first run of the game. Pinch-runner Sydney Carter stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a ground ball that turned into an error.
• Eckerd got the run back in the bottom of the inning on a two-out RBI single by Meredith McGinnis.
• The Senators picked up runs in the sixth and seventh to take a 3-1 lead into the last half-inning. Van Gennep's no-hitter carried into the sixth where it ended on a single by Kelsie Millner with no outs.
• The Tritons tied the game in the home half of the seventh after Hannah Famiano led off with a single and Van Gennep blasted her fifth homerun of the season over the right-centerfield fence.  Eckerd then had the winning run at second base but left her stranded.
• A two-out double was wasted by the Senators in the top of the eighth. Jessica Wilson then led off the bottom of the inning with a bunt single and moved to second on a groundout by Kaylin Kramer. Famiano ripped a 3-2 pitch down the left field line where it was dropped by Amy Fincham, allowing Wilson to score the winning run.

Game 2

• The Senators jumped on top early with three runs in the top of the first. Five of the first six batters reached base before Saltzman settled in and got out of the inning, stranding two.
• Eckerd scored quickly in the bottom of the first after Van Gennep singled home Kramer. The Tritons had runners at first and second with one out but the threat ended when Kassy Torres lined into a double play.
• Saltzman settled in and worked around baserunners in the second, third, and fourth innings, stranding four.
• After the first two batters of the Eckerd half of the third were retired, the Tritons exploded for four runs. van Gennep hit her second homerun of the day, a solo shot that went over the fence in almost the same spot as her homer in the first game. McGinnis and Torres both reached base before Saltzman connected on her first career homerun over the centerfield fence to give EC a 5-3 lead.
• The Tritons picked up another run in the fourth on a Famiano sacrifice fly.  Another opportunity in the fifth fell by the wayside, however, after leaving the bases loaded.
• Davis & Elkins closed the gap with a run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly. Two more runners reached base on back-to-back singles with one out, but once against Saltzman worked out of the jam.
• Eckerd got the run back in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out RBI single by McGinnis. 
• Saltzman retired the side in order in the seventh to earn her first win of the season.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Van Gennep's homeruns were her fifth and sixth of the season. She had five total in her career coming into the year. Saltzman's was the first of her career.
• Torres had two hits in each game while Kramer and McGinnis both had three hits in the finale. Van Gennep and Olivia Oppeltz also had two hits in the nightcap, while Wilson posted two in the opener.
• Eckerd's 13 hits in the second game were the team's most of the season.
• Torres's hot streak at the plate continued with her fourth multi-hit outing in her last six games.

UP NEXT
The Tritons host Emmanuel (Ga.) in a three-game series beginning on Friday at 6:00 PM.