ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—The Barry Buccaneers beat the Eckerd Tritons and the rain at the Turley Athletic Complex on Thursday night, to come away with a 6-5 win in 10 innings in the opener of a Sunshine State Conference softball series.
Kelly Martinez laced a two-out single to left to score pinch runner Kate Hehre with the winning run in the top of the 10th inning for the Bucs (24-17, 8-11 SSC). Alexis Kent singled up the middle to start the inning off of Eckerd reliever Amber Hay (9-9), and Hehre came in to run. She went to second on a passed ball and moved up to third on a ground out by Cheyanne Head. Martinez drilled a 1-2 pitch through the hole at short to bring in the run.
Camille Czarnecki (9-4) struck out the side in the 10th to make the run stand up. She earned the win in relief of Britney Pugh. Czarnecki worked seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits and four walks and struck out eight.
The Tritons (23-21, 8-12 SSC) jumped on top in the second inning. Kaycie Duncan doubled to right center and, after a sacrifice, Erin Dixson singled through the right side to score the run.
Barry stormed back in the fourth, aided by some shaky defense by the Tritons. Hunter Mars reached on an error by DIxson, and went to second on a wild pitch. Julie Brito followed with an infield single, though Mars was unable to advance. After a sacrifice moved the runners to second and third, Kent grounded out to third base. With two away, Lexi Corrente lifted a shallow popup on the right side, but Triton first baseman Carolyn Griffin muffed the catch and both Mars and Brito scored. After an infield single by Head, Martinez looped a shot down the left field line for a double and driving in two runs.
The Tritons scored three in the bottom of the inning. Duncan and Sydney Dinelli walked off Barry starter Pugh and Dixson followed with a single to load the bases. Duncan scored on a passed ball and Czarnecki came in to relieve Pugh. The Tritons countered with a pair of pinch runners. Nazley Wilson scored on a single by Alex Barone. Brittany Mitchell popped a shallow fly ball into foul ground where Kelly Martinez raced over to make the catch. Nicole Leffler tagged and scored on the play, but Kent threw out Barone trying to advance to second.
The Bucs took a 5-4 lead in the fifth, thanks to two throwing errors by Dixson in the circle. Megan Copeland reached when Dixson’s toss went over Griffin’s head and advanced to second. She scored one out later when Dixson again threw it away at first on a ground ball by Brito.
In the sixth, the Tritons tied the game at 5-5 on a bases-loaded, two-out, pinch-hit walk by Caitlyn Belber that brought in Dinelli.
Hay took the loss, working four innings and allowing just the one run on six hits and striking out six. Dixson went six innings, giving up five unearned runs, on six hits and a walk.
The second game of the scheduled doubleheader was postponed due to rain that crept in just as the first game was ending. The series is schedule to conclude now with a twinbill on Friday.
Barry 000 410 000 1 -- 6 12 0
Eckerd 010 301 000 0 -- 5 6 4
WP- Czarnecki (9-4). LP-Hay (9-9)