ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd softball team racked up 20 hits and 13 runs on the way to a doubleheader sweep of Southwest Minnesota State on Monday afternoon. Eckerd took game one 8-4 and the finale 5-4 at the Turley Athletic Complex.
SMSU scored first with a run in the opening frame on an RBI double. However, the Tritons responded in the bottom of the frame, taking the lead for good on a three-run homerun by Lauren Margolis.
Jenice Casanas gave EC a 4-1 favor with her first career homerun, a solo shot, in the second inning.
SMSU added a pair of runs in the third, but Brooklyn Cardona added an RBI in the frame, while Ella Coiner and Margolis drove in a run in the fourth for a 7-3 Tritons' lead.
The Mustangs plated a run in the sixth, but Skylar Redish added an RBI to seal the win.
Eckerd scored first in the finale, with Lokeinsky scoring on a wild pitch in the first inning. Skylar Redish gave EC a 2-0 lead with a solo homerun in the second stanza. Megan Diaz scored on a wild pitch in the second for a three-run lead. Coiner and Diaz added RBIs in the next two frames as the Tritons took a 5-0 favor.
The Mustangs rallied late with four runs in the fifth inning on a pair of singles and a fielder's choice, but Olivia Johnson shut the door in the final two frames.
HOW IT ENDED
Game One
FINAL: Eckerd 8, Southwest Minnesota State 4
WP:Benifield (3-4) LP: Bloemendaal (3-3) HR: Casanas (1), Margolis (2)
Game Two
FINAL: Eckerd 5, Southwest Minnesota State 4
WP: Beauchaine (2-3) LP: Christians (1-1) S: Johnson (1) HR: Redish (2)
RECORDS: Eckerd 9-9; SMSU 3-9
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Five Tritons recorded multi-hit performances in the opener: Brenna Lokeinsky (3), Jadyn Wright (2), Margolis (2), Megan Diaz (2), and Cardona (2).
- Margolis added four RBIs in the opener.
- Brielle Beniefield earned the win in the opener, tossing a complete game.
- Margolis' and Redish's homerun's were each their second of the season, while Casanas' was her first. Margolis moves her career mark to nine, while Redish has 15. Casanas' was the first of her career.
- Eckerd was aggressive on the bases, going a perfect 14-for-14 on the basepath over the twinbill. Lokeisky collected four stolen bases on the day, while Coiner and Wright had three, and Casanas had two.
- Avery Beauchaine earned the win in the finale over 4.1 innings of work, while Olivia Johnson collected a save tossing 2.2 scoreless innings.
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to action on Thursday, hosting Chestnut Hill (Penn.) for EC's Teal Out doubleheader at 3:00 PM.
