MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Barry University’s softball team split a pair of games Saturday as the Bucs dropped game one against Georgia College, 9-4, before winning the night-cap over Newberry, 3-1.
Game One
The Bucs (15-6) grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Megan Copeland scored on a passed ball. Barry then pushed across two more runs in the third. Alexis Kent led-off the inning with a solo-homer and Kayla Ogle, who reached on a single to center, came around to score on an error by the shortstop Kristen Brooks.
Georgia College answered with a manufactured run in the third and two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to even the game at 3-3.
The Bobcats took advantage on a pair of Buccaneers’ defensive miscues in the fifth to score a pair of unearned runs and take a 5-3 lead.
Julie Brito answered for the Bucs in the sixth when as she belted a solo-shot to left field, cutting the deficit to just one run, 5-4.
Once again in the bottom of the sixth, the Bobcats added to their lead with a four run out-burst. Georgia scored four runs on just two hits to grab a 9-4 lead, capped by Kristen Brooks’ two-RBI double to center field.
Barry loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the seventh, but the Bucs were unable top push a run across and fell to the Bobcats by a final of 9-4.
Camille Czarnecki (5-2) took the loss pitching 2.1 innings in relief of Taylor Sabol.
Hunter Mars and Kent led the offense with two hits each.
Faith Flanders (7-2) picked up the win for the Bobcats in relief.
Game Two
In the night-cap the Bucs took a 1-0 lead over Newberry in the top of the first inning on a Kelly Martinez sacrifice fly to left that scored Megan Copeland.
The Bucs added another run in the third, once again on a sacrifice fly, as Mars drove in Ogle to take a 2-0 lead.
Newberry (13-8) got on the board in the bottom of the third on Danielle Basch’s RBI double to left-center to make it a 2-1 game.
Ogle singled to third base and stole second to start the top of the fifth. Following Copeland’s sacrifice bunt that moved Ogle to third, Mars singled to center field to drive in another Buccaneer run.
That is all of the offense that Bucs’ starter Pugh (5-1) needed as she shutdown Newberry and held them to just one run and struck out four in yet another seven-inning complete game.
The offense was paced by Ogle, Mars and Brito who accounted for six of the Bucs’ eight hits.
The Bucs return to action on Saturday in the first of a three-game set against Tampa at Buccaneer Field with live-stat and video broadcast coverage available through Barry University’s athletics website, GOBARRYBUCS.COM.