ST. PETERSBURG -- The Eckerd Tritons softball team opened a three-game series with the Nova Southeastern Sharks on Friday, winning game one by a score of 4-1.
Both starting pitchers stole the show for the first half of the game, allowing just one combined hit between the two through four innings of play. Eckerd was responsible for the lone hit and run during that span, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on
Ella Coiner's solo home run down the left field line.Â
Neither team posted a base runner until the top of the fifth inning when Nova Southeastern threatened to score for the first time. The Sharks saw a pair of singles to put two runners on with just one out, but
Brandilyn Reymer got out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts to end the top half of the inning.
Gracie Ciccarello drove in some insurance runs for the Tritons in the bottom of the frame, sending a single to right field with two outs to extend the team's lead to 3-0.
Hannah Taylor added a solo shot in the sixth to make it a 4-0 game before Reymer worked around a Nova Southeastern homer and another pair of base runners in the seventh to secure the 4-1 win.
Reymer improved to 6-2 on the mound this season and struck out 13, the third time this season punching out 13 or more. Eckerd now sits at 8-4 on the season and 4-0 in the SSC.
The series continues with two more games tomorrow.
