ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—The 13th-ranked Barry Buccaneers pulled out a 3-0 win over the Eckerd College Tritons in Sunshine State Conference softball action at the Turley Athletic Complex on Friday night.
Brianna Smith (21-5) tossed a three-hit shutout and struck out 10. It was her 14th shutout of the season and the sixth in eight SSC series openers.
The Bucs (38-9, 17-5 SSC) had plenty of opportunities against Triton starter Whitney Bernier. Bernier held the Bucs scoreless through the first six innings, scattering seven hits, two walks and one hit batter. But in the seventh inning, Triton head coach Josh Beauregard brought Brittany Mitchell in from right field to start the inning and she promptly gave up a leadoff double to Sarah Broeseker and Grace Collins followed with a single to right to score her. After a walk to Alyssa Goldsmith, Bernier came back in and got Smith on a sacrifice bunt. But Jessica Tabor rolled a single up the middle to plate Collins and Goldsmith.
Centerfielder Amber Durkin preserved the shutout for the Bucs in the fourth inning. After Smith set down the first 11 batters she faced, she hit Kristen Schurr with two outs. After wild pitch moved Schurr to second, Alex Sasso rolled a single up the middle for the only ball that Eckerd got out of the infield. But Durkin scooped up the ball and rifled a throw to Kayla Monroy behind the plate to catch Schurr trying to score.
Collins’ seventh inning single was her 224th of her career, tying her with Cristina DeTagle for second place on the Buccaneers’ all-time hit list. Shyla Rider has the record at 254. In addition to Collins who had two hits, Broeseker, Tabor and Kelly Martinez all had two hits.
The Bucs close out the regular season against the Tritons (12-41, 4-18 SSC) on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 pm.
(04/27/12 at St. Petersburg, FL)
#13 Barry 3, Eckerd 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Barry................. 000 000 3 - 3 11 0 (38-9, 17-5 SSC)
Eckerd.............. 000 000 0 - 0 3 1 (12-41, 4-18 SSC)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Barry - Brianna Smith and Kayla Monroy. Eckerd - Whitney Bernier; Brittany Mitchell(7) and Sarah Agnew.
Win-Brianna Smith(21-5) Loss-Brittany Mitchell(2-9) T-1:38 A-45
Weather: Brilliant
Mitchell faced 3 batters in the 7th.