MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle softball team dropped a pair of tough one-run games to Barry in Sunshine State Conference play on Saturday. Barry (29-21, 16-13) topped the Eagles (27-16, 18-11) 1-0 in the first game of the Saturday evening twin bill and outlasted ERAU 3-2 in the 12-inning night cap.
Game 1 | Embry-Riddle 0, Barry 1
Runs were at a premium in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. The Eagles outhit the Lady Bucs 7-1, but it was Barry that was able to scratch across the all-important run in the third inning.
Kelsi Collins held Barry without a hit through the first two innings but surrendered a walk to Courtney Chisholm in the third. Chisholm later scored on a ball hit to second base to put Barry on the board.
After a pitcher's duel between Collins and Maci Barnhart through the next three innings, the Eagles appeared on their way to a comeback in the seventh.
Lauren Latoria singled to lead off the inning and later stole second. With a runner in scoring position and two out,
Savannah Brockenbrough singled through the left side to move Latoria to third, but Barnhart was able to induce
Mahaliyah Sandridge to ground out to end the rally and escape with the win.
Latoria was 3-for-3, while
Lia Johnson was 2-for-3 at the plate.
Collins (19-8) struck out three and walked three to take the loss.
Game 2 | Embry-Riddle 2, Barry 3
The Eagles got on the board early in the second game, plating two runs in the first inning.
Lia Johnson singled to lead off the inning, stole second and third, and crossed the plate on Reanne Drayton's single. Helped by a
Maggie Scott single, a stolen base and a fielder's choice, Drayton scored a run of her own to give the Blue and Gold a 2-0 lead.
The Lady Bucs scored in the bottom of the first and again in the second to level the score at 2-2, but whatever momentum either team had in the early stages disappeared thanks to a weather delay that halted play for more than an hour.
Once play resumed, ERAU starting pitcher
Mallory Kinahan settled in quickly, limiting Barry to just two hits over the next five innings. The Eagles pounded out three hits each in the third and the seventh innings and put runners in scoring position in both of those frames, but they were unable to send a run across to break the deadlock, sending the game to extra innings.
The Eagles got a double from Latoria in the eighth and Scott in the 10th, but it was the Barry who capitalized on an extra base hit in the 11th. Chisholm came in to run for Lord who hit a double to right. She moved up on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a fielder's choice to give Barry the win.
Johnson was 4-for-6 with three stolen bases, while Scott went 3-for-5 with a double.
Collins (19-9, 13-6), struck out three and gave up just one hit in four innings of relief.
The Eagles will wrap up the series against Barry in the final game of the regular season at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
