ST. PETERSBURG -- The Eckerd Tritons softball team is off to its best conference start ever following a three-game sweep of the Nova Southeastern Sharks to improve to 6-0 in the SSC. The Tritons won game one on Saturday by a score of 3-2 before taking the finale in extra innings on a walkoff home run to win by a final of 6-5.
In game one, the two teams played three scoreless innings with only four combined base runners and one total hit. The Tritons struck first in the bottom of the fourth. A walk, single and wild pitch put runners in scoring position with one out and resulted in an RBI fielder's choice from Kaili Cannon for the game's first run. The Sharks got out of the inning to keep Eckerd's lead at one, but the Tritons added two more in the following inning to stretch the margin to three.
Mia Hernandez kicked off the frame with a base hit before an infield single and stolen base by Lex Difato put runners on second and third with one out again. A sacrifice fly from Hannah Taylor produced the second run, and Ella Coiner delivered a two-out hit to drive in the third. A two-run homer by the visitors in the sixth inched the Sharks closer, but Brandilyn Reymer collected the final five outs in the circle to earn the save and give starter Elise Roy the win. Roy struck out six and allowed just two hits in 5 1/3 innings.
In game two, Eckerd fell behind early after a three-run home run in the opening inning gave the visitors the lead. Taylor's solo homer in the third cut the deficit to two and was followed by a two-out RBI single from Jazz Jones to bring the score to 3-2 after three innings.
The Sharks earned both of those runs back in the top of the sixth to extend their cushion to three, but the Tritons answered with three of their own in the bottom half to even the score. A single and a fielder's choice that resulted in no outs put two runners on with one out. Difato beat out an infield single to load the bases, setting up Taylor's bases-clearing double to deadlock the game at 5-5. Both teams worked around base runners in the seventh to send the game to extras.
Reymer pitched through a two-out walk in the eighth to keep the Sharks at five. Back-to-back groundouts started the bottom half for Eckerd in what appeared to be a quick inning, but Coiner sent a deep fly to center over the fence to walk off the game and give the Tritons their seventh straight victory.
Eckerd posted 12 hits in the win, led by Coiner's 4-for-5 effort. Reymer struck out 13 and collected her seventh win in the circle.
The Tritons are now 10-4 overall and 6-0 in the SSC. The team will play a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday vs. Wheeling next time out.
