ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd softball team swept Lynn in the doubleheader, with 8-7 and 9-8 (8 inning) victories, for a series sweep at the Turley Athletic Complex on Saturday.
Lynn struck first in both games, but Eckerd rallied and came out victorious in each. After allowing an early run in the first, a two-run knock by Hannah Taylor put Eckerd ahead in the bottom of the frame of game one. Eckerd capitalized with three runs in the second. The Tritons added two more in the third, for Mia Hernandez's third RBI of the day. An RBI double by Ellie Baldwin in the fourth gave Eckerd the 8-1 advantage. Lynn crept back into the game, rallying back to trail by one in the seventh. Brandilyn Reymer earned the save in the seventh, closing the game emphatically with Buzzell going down swinging, Eckerd winning 8-7.
The Fighting Knights dominated in the early stages of game two, with a five-run second inning giving them a comfortable lead. After adding another run in the top of the fourth, the Tritons began to answer the call, with a two-out solo shot by Addisan Langston to put Eckerd on the board. Eckerd rallied in the fifth, with a four-run inning to shorten the deficit to one.
The Knights gave themselves some distance with two runs in the sixth, but the Tritons were not done yet. Eckerd fought back to tie the game in the seventh, capitalizing on Lynn's errors to shorten their deficit. A solo shot by Ella Coiner brought the Tritons within one, and an RBI single by Julia Heter sent the game to extras. A 1-2-3 inning in the top of the eighth was closed with Reymer once again striking out Buzzell swinging. A single through the left side and two sacrifice bunts brought Taylor up to the plate with Ashley Cain on third. An error for the Knights let Eckerd walk-off the game 9-8.
Reymer was outstanding in the circle in all three games, picking up two wins and a save. She plated 22 strikeouts in the series with 12 in the complete-game series finale.
HOW IT ENDED
Game One
FINAL: Eckerd 8, Lynn 7
WP: Heter (4-2) LP: Prickett (3-5) S: Reymer (1) HR: EC - Taylor (5)
Game Two
FINAL: Eckerd 9, Lynn 8
WP: Reymer (5-4) LP: Lindsey (2-2) HR: EC - Coiner (5), Langston (3); LU - Riley (2)
RECORDS: Eckerd 10-7 (5-4 SSC); Lynn 6-10 (0-6 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Reymer's 12 strikeouts in the finale were one-off her career-high of 13.
- Eckerd racked up 21 RBIs across the series
- The Tritons smashed three homeruns on the day: Taylor, Coiner, and Langston.
- Taylor went 6-for-10 from the plate with four RBIs in the series.
- EC swiped five stolen bases in the three games.
UP NEXT
Eckerd hosts Felician (NJ) for a doubleheader at 6:00 PM on Monday at the Turley Athletic Complex.
