LAKELAND, Fla.—A back-and-forth game finally tilted in favor of Florida Southern, as the ninth-ranked Barry Buccaneers dropped a 5-4 decision to the Moccasins at Barnett Field on Saturday in the Sunshine State Conference softball opener for both teams.
Barry (10-4, 0-1 SSC) led 4-3 going into the bottom of the seventh, but the Mocs scored twice, aided by three Buccaneer errors, to take the win.
The Mocs (5-4, 1-0 SSC) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first. Priscilla Gonzalez knocked an RBI double to score Jessica Lanci.
Barry tied it in the second on an RBI double by Ashley Fernandez and took a 2-1 lead on Julie Brito’s single in the third which scored Megan Copeland.
Florida Southern came back with two runs in the fourth. Christie Bailey and Gonzalez knocked in the runs.
In the fifth, it was the Bucs’ turn again, as Hunter Mars and Copeland both scored on an error by Mocs’ shortstop Lanci.
In the seventh, pinch runner Courtney Hogrefe scored the tying run on an error and Kylee Stearns brought home the game-winner on another error.
Chelsie Ogilvie (2-2) went the distance to earn the win for the Mocs. She allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk and struck out four. Taylor Sabol (2-3) was tagged with the loss in relief for the Bucs. She went an inning and a third, allowing two unearned runs on two hits. Britney Pugh went 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and six walks.
The series concludes with a doubleheader tomorrow at 1:00 pm.