ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – After dropping the opener against West Georgia, 7-4, on the heels of a late rally that saw the Wolves plate four runs over the last two innings, the Tritons softball team answered in the finale with an 8-6 win, jump-started by a second-inning grand slam by Brenna Lokeinsky on Tuesday afternoon at the Turley Athletic Complex.
UWG struck first in game one, blasting a two-run home run to left-center field for an early 2-0 favor in the first frame. EC immediately responded when Megan Diaz cracked an RBI single in the bottom of the stanza. The Wolves added to their lead with a sacrifice fly in the second inning. Diaz collected her second and third RBIs of the game with a single in the third and a double in the fifth that tied the game, 3-3.
Kayla Hurley gave the Tritons their first lead of the opener with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, 4-3. However, the rest of the game belonged to the Wolves, as they added four runs in the sixth and seventh frame on a pair of doubles and an error to seal the comeback, 7-4.
Lokeinsky set the tone from the get-go in the finale, hitting a no-doubt grand slam to left field in the second frame for a 4-0 Triton lead. West Georgia nearly closed the gap with a three-run homerun in the fourth stanza. The Tritons equaled the Wolves' pace with a three-run frame of their own with a pair of bases-loaded walks from Jenice Casanas and Lauren Margolis and an RBI single by Hurley, extending Eckerd's lead 7-3.
Casanas extended the Tritons' lead with an RBI single in the fifth inning, 8-3. UWG rallied in the sixth and seventh innings with three runs but ultimately fell short, as EC successfully halted the comeback and took home their 16th win of the season, 8-6.
HOW IT ENDED
Game 1
Final: West Georgia 7, Eckerd 4
WP: Dowdy (4-2) LP: Durrance (6-4) HR: Taylor (3)
Game 2
Final: Eckerd 8, West Georgia 6
WP: Perkins (9-5) LP: Worley (1-6) HR: Lokeinsky (4), Janke (6), Arrington (2)
Records: Eckerd 16-10 (5-7 SSC); West Georgia 11-16
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Diaz led the Tritons offense in the opener with a 3-for-3 day at the dish, including three RBIs and a walk.
- Lokeinky's grand slam was Eckerd's second this season and her fourth homerun. Her 19 RBIs rank first on the team.
- Casanas collected three hits, two RBIs, and three walks over both games.
- Hannah Perkins earned her ninth win, pitching all seven innings with four strikeouts.
- EC drew 11 walks as a team across both games.
UP NEXT
The Tritons travel to Embry-Riddle for the first of a three-game SSC series on Friday at 6:00 PM.
