Tampa Blanks Palm Beach Atlantic in Rainy Win
Pitcher Alyssa Bache shuts down the Sailfish with a complete-game shutout to pick up her first win with the Spartans.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Palm Beach Atlantic
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
|
Tampa
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 3 | 6 | 0 |
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Behind a seven-inning shutout from pitcher Alyssa Bache, the University of Tampa softball team outdueled Palm Beach Atlantic University, 3-0 on Saturday at the Eckerd College Softball Tournament.
The Spartans improve to 2-1 on the season while the Sailfish fall to 1-5 on the year.
Senior Bache (1-1) pitched masterfully despite the rainy conditions, tossing a complete-game shutout, scattering four hits and striking out two batters without issuing a walk. The pitcher hit 1-for-3 on the day with a single and a pair of RBI.
The contest began as an old-fashioned pitcher's duel, as the game remained deadlocked until the bottom of the fifth frame. Senior Alyssa Colletti began the frame with a key walk before Laurie Kostecka bunted her into scoring position. With two outs, catcher Erica Matich roped a single to right field, scoring Colletti from second and breaking the scoring drought.
Bache added a pair of insurance runs a few at-bats later, blasting a single to centerfield to score two more runs and give Tampa a 3-0 lead after five complete innings.
Second-baseman Cristina Clauberg finished the day with two hits and a run scored. The freshman recorded the only extra-base hit of the day, adding a double in the fourth frame.
Sailfish starting pitcher Rachel Hill (0-3) was tabbed with the loss, pitching 4.2 innings, allowing three earned runs off of four hits. The right-hander issued two walks and struck out two batters in the loss.
Tampa will conclude the Eckerd College Softball Tournament on Sunday in doubleheader fashion. First pitch against Nova Southeastern is slated for a 9 a.m. start time while the second contest featuring Barry University will be played at 11:30 a.m., both contests being played at Eddie C. Moore in Clearwater, Fla.
Live stats for the Sunday twinbill will be made available through www.tampaspartans.com as well as the new UT Spartans Front Row app, available on both the Apple App Store and through Google Play.
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