ST. PETERSBURG -- The Eckerd softball team dropped a pair of games to the Oklahoma Christian Eagles on Saturday, falling in game one by a score of 6-1 before losing the finale 4-1.
In game one, the visitors got on the board with a run in the second after a pair of scoreless at-bats both ways to begin the contest.
Jazz Jones notched the first hit of the season for the Tritons in the bottom half, scorching a one-out double to the fence. The Eagles stranded Jones at second and plated five in the ensuing inning to up the score to 6-0 in their favor. The Tritons threatened in the fourth, loading the bases with just one out, but consecutive pop ups halted the scoring chance and kept it a 6-0 game.
Eckerd got one back in the fifth, beginning with
Mia Hernandez reaching on an error before
Hannah Taylor's RBI single with two outs put the team on the board. Both pitching staffs put up zeroes in the remaining innings and the 6-1 lead held for Oklahoma Christian through the end.
Taylor led the Tritons with two hits, while
Brandilyn Reymer struck out seven in her seven innings of work.
In a rainy and windy game two, the Eagles again struck first, this time putting up a pair of runs in their opening trip to the plate. The Tritons saw base runners in the each of the first five innings, including a bases-loaded opportunity in the third with one out, but a strikeout and fly out kept the 2-0 lead intact for Oklahoma Christian.Â
Ashley Cain began the fourth with a leadoff walk and moved to second on a stolen base, setting up an RBI double from
Gracie Ciccarello to cut the deficit in half. The Eagles grabbed two in the top half of the fifth to extend the lead back out to three before getting out a jam in the seventh to win the game by that score. Taylor and
Ella Coiner both secured singles in the final frame.
Eckerd posted seven hits, led by two apiece from both Taylor and Coiner.Â
The Tritons will be back to host Webber International on Feb. 10.Â
