ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Mar. 21, 2022) – Despite junior Alexi Benson (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend) and senior Sabrina Gonzalez (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Wellington) combining to allow just three runs, the Mercy College softball team dropped 1-0 and 2-0 decisions to Eckerd College on Monday afternoon at Turley Complex.
The Mavericks (2-16) have dropped nine games in a row, while the Tritons (15-9) have won four games in a row.
Game 1: Eckerd 1, Mercy 0
A pitcher's duel broke out between Benson and Eckerd starter Kensley Durrance. The game remained scoreless until the fifth inning when Caroline Lane recorded an RBI single off Benson's glove to give the Tritons a 1-0 lead.
Mercy went down in order in the sixth and seventh innings, giving Eckerd the game one win.
Benson pitched a complete game with just one run allowed and five strikeouts to take the loss. Senior Alexis Crawford (Hemet, Calif./West Valley High) and junior Nicole Smart (Santa Clarita, Calif./Golden Valley) each went 1-for-3.
Eckerd was led by Lane who went 1-for-1 with an RBI. Durrance pitched a complete game with just two hits allowed and ten strikeouts to earn the win.
Mercy had two hits and no errors and Eckerd had five hits and one error.
Game 2: Eckerd 2, Mercy 0
Another pitcher's duel broke out in game two this time between Gonzalez and Eckerd starter Briellee Benefield. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third when Jenice Casanas led off the inning with a single and later scored on a throwing error by the catcher to make it 1-0.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth when Kayla Hurley led off the inning with a double and later scored on a Brenna Lokeinsky sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Smart singled with two outs in the seventh but was left stranded at first, giving the Tritons the game two win.
Crawford went 2-for-3 and junior Samantha Franck (La Habra Heights, Calif./La Habra) went 1-for-2. Smart and junior Hailey Puglia (Holtsville, N.Y./Assumption College) both went 1-for-3. Gonzalez pitched a complete game with just one earned run allowed with three hits and two strikeouts to take the loss.
Eckerd was led by Hurley who went 2-for-3. Benefield allowed just five hits in seven innings to earn the win.
Mercy had five hits and two errors and Eckerd had three hits and no errors.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they play at Florida Tech at 4 p.m.
