MELBOURNE, Fla. (Softball) - Florida Tech (11-15, 0-4 SSC) fell 5-1 to Barry University (8-14, 3-4 SSC) in the game opener of the series on Friday evening at the Nancy Bottge Field. 

Leading offensively for the Panthers, Karina Suicava (1-for-2) and Krista Patterson (1 RBI) combined to score the only run of the evening. Fellow teammates Hailey Leonard and Julianna Goldberg collected one hit apiece. Defensively, FIT recorded 21 putouts and nine assists for a .968 fielding percentage.

At the bottom of the third, the Crimson and Gray opened up the score with a double to left center by Suicava. Alexus Smith then hit a grounder to third, allowing Suicava to advance and place herself in scoring position. With Patterson at the plate, a sac fly to deep right field drove home Suicava and put FIT on the scoreboard.

In the fourth inning, Makayla Palmer was allotted with a walk and Goldberg pushed her to second with a single to left field. With runners at first and second, Kaitlin Buccholz flared a hard line drive to the second baseman, which eventually was caught to close the home half for FIT.

The Buccaneers fought back and tied the game at the top of the fifth. Although great defensive efforts, Barry managed to score four more runs at the top of the seventh. In the last offensive home half, Florida Tech was unable to reach base and eventually fell to the Buccaneers 5-1.

The Panthers will be back in action tomorrow Mar. 11 at the Nancy Bottge Field to complete the series with a double header starting at 12 p.m. ET. To access more information, please visit FloridaTechSports.com where you can view live stats and video coverage of the event.