MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - Ending the Friday night outing with 13 hits for a cumulative .464 batting average, Florida Tech (18-13, 4-6 SSC) motored past Barry (16-15, 1-6 SSC) with an overwhelming 12-2 victory in the fifth inning at Buccaneer Softball Field.

In the circle, Melanie Murphy (7-5) tallied her third SSC win with one strikeout, two runs, and three hits in five innings pitched. The Melbourne native continues to patrol the fourth spot inside the SSC with her cumulative 1.39 ERA, and now counts 41 strikeouts in 85.1 innings pitched.

At the plate, freshman Victoria Szrom brought the heat for Florida Tech, as the Egg Harbor Township product recorded a 2-for-2 performance highlighted by a three-RBI home run in the top of the third. Ending the day with two RBI on two doubles, junior Alexus Smith went 2-for-3 inside the box, followed by teammates Vanessa Rubio and Shanysse Emerenciana, who collected two RBI apiece. Closing out the leaders, veteran Jessica Callahan pitched in with her third seasonal home run to tally one RBI during the outing.

After remaining scoreless through the first two innings, Florida Tech struck in the top of the second on a solo bomb by Callahan, followed by a couple of Barry uncertainties that brought two runs across home plate for FIT. 

With a two-run lead headed into the bottom of the third, the Panthers increased their lead, 3-0 on a single to center field by Palmer. The single was then followed by a three-run dinger from Szrom, who stepped to the plate with one out and two runners on to push FIT past Barry, 4-0. Continuing the Panthers offensive success, Smith and Emerenciana joined forces to tack on one more run for the Crimson and Gray, 7-0. However, in the bottom half of the third, the Buccaneers managed to close the gap, 7-2 after scoring two runs on an RBI double and stolen home plate.

During the fourth, FIT extended its margin once more, as Rubio and Smith each collected a two-RBI double to jump ahead, 11-2. From there, the Panthers scored their final run of the game in the fourth, while Murphy wrapped things up in the fifth with three straight outs for her fourth consecutive win, 12-2. The win over Barry now marks the Crimson and Gray's third run-rule contest of the 2018 Campaign.
  
Tomorrow, Florida Tech will conclude the weekend series against the Bucs with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. ET.

For more info, please visit FloridaTechSports.com!