MELBOURNE, Fla. (Softball) - Florida Tech (23-23, SSC 8-11) cut a 9-3 lead to one, before falling 9-8 to
Eckerd College (17-27, SSC 6-13) on Thursday afternoon at Nancy
Bottge Field.
During their rally, the Panthers collected 11 hits that produced eight runs. In the box, senior
Hailey Leonard led the FIT horsepower, ending the afternoon with a 2-for-3 performance and batting in two RBI. In addition, fellow teammates
Makayla Palmer and
Julianna Goldberg recorded two hits and one RBI apiece.
As the first and second went scoreless for both dugouts, the Tritons broke through the score in the third, snatching four runs and overlapping the Panthers, 4-0. However, the Crimson and Gray quickly sparked up their fight in the fourth and closed the margin to one run.
Palmer started the offensive frame with a free base and later reached second on a single by
Vanessa Rubio. With Goldberg stepping to the plate, Florida Tech was able to reach the score board after she drove in the first run for FIT. With runners at first and third, Karina
Suicava flared a single behind second to bring in another run. The senior class second baseman followed up stealing second, allowing Rubio to reach home safe, closing the gap for Florida Tech, 4-3.
In the fifth,
Eckerd took the lead once again, putting five more runs on the board, surpassing the Panthers, 9-3. The Tritons lead was then cut again in the sixth, where the Crimson and Gray narrowly missed the win by one.
Leonard brought in the first two runs due to a single to center field, while
Sarah Hayes followed up by bringing home two more runners with a single to right field. The Panthers were now in a two-run deficit, but Palmer led the Panthers closer to a comeback by batting in another RBI. With a runner at third and second situation, the Florida Tech line-up could not bring any of the runners in, and eventually fell to
Eckerd, 9-8.
Up next, the Panthers return to Nancy
Bottge Field to complete the series doubleheader against
Eckerd, staring with the first game at 1 p.m. ET. In between games, the senior class will be recognized and saluted for their accomplishments both on and off the field during their years at Florida Tech. Fans can find live coverage of the event at FloridaTechSports.com!
