Spartans Take Series Opener Over Tritons

TAMPA, Fla. –  The University of Tampa softball team hosted the Eckerd College Tritons on Friday night to open the final SSC series of the season. Tampa walked off with the series opener in extra innings after scoring once in the bottom of the eight.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: Tampa 3 (W: Makaleigh Dooley 24-11), Eckerd 2 (L: Nikole Van Gennep 14-12) 
Records: Spartans (26-16, 17-11 SSC), Tritons (20-25, 11-17 SSC)
Location: Naimoli Family Stadium | Tampa, Fla.
All-time Series: Tampa leads the all-time series 90-22 over Eckerd. 
Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Vimeo

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Top 4th: The Tritons opened the scoring with two runs on a double to center field. 

Bott. 4th: Shelby Press opened the inning with a single up the middle. Dooley laid down a bunt and the ball bounced off the chalk line as it made its way up the foul line staying in fair territory. The first baseman picked it up and tried to throw her out but hit her in the back and allowed Press to advance to third. Dooley than advanced to second on an out in foul territory and was replaced by Mackenzie Allen. Both runners came around to score on a double down the right-field line by Maddie Farrell. 

Bott. 8th: Lauren Pascoe reached first on a fielding error by the Eckerd shortstop. Pascoe moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt and reached third a batter later on an infield groundout. Dooley clinched the win with a single up the middle that allowed Pascoe to score standing up.  

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Dooley went yet another complete game as she threw eight innings, giving up just four hits and no walks while striking out five.
• The two teams combined to leave just three runners on base.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Dooley has thrown 222 strikeouts in 240.1 innings of work and has 29 complete games.

UP NEXT:

The two teams will close the season with a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon with a doubleheader scheduled to start at 1 p.m. In between the games on Saturday, the seniors on both teams will be recognized. 

TAMPA SPARTANS MOBILE APP:
A free app is also available for free download through Apple and Google Play stores. Please search for Tampa Spartans Front Row.

RECEIVE TEXT AND EMAIL ALERTS:
UT also offers free messaging service for text and/or email, which sends alerts and press releases for Spartan teams. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.