St. Petersburg, Fla. (March 26, 2008) – Saint Leo softball (23-6, 6-0 SSC) completed the three game sweep of the Eckerd College Tritons (8-35, 2-7 SSC) Wednesday evening at Turley Field. The Lions controlled the first game winning 11-0. The Lions finished off the sweep by winning 13-0 on the back end of the twin bill.
Ashley Urbanik (Jr., Riverview, Fla.) tossed her second consecutive no-hit, shutout going 5.0 innings and striking out six. Urbanik (16-3) also helped herself out at the plate going a combined 2-for-7 with two home runs and five RBI. Elysha Agen (Fr., Palm Harbor, Fla.) finished the 5-for-8 with a double and five RBI. Tatiana Casis (Jr. Port St. Lucie, Fla.) finished her evening going 3-for-5 with three RBI and three walks. Amanda Patrick (Fr., Tampa, Fla.) went 5-for-8 with two doubles and three RBI.
Saint Leo wasted no time in the first game scoring runs as Casis crossed the plate on a Tritons defensive error in the top of the first. The Lions added four more runs in the second inning. Two of the Lions’ runs came via defensive errors by the Tritons. Runs three and four of the inning were scored as a result of an Agen double to centerfield, making the score 5-0. After a scoreless third, Urbanik stepped to the plate and hit her first of two home runs on the night. The three-run shot put the Lions ahead 8-0. The final three runs crossed the plate in the top of the fifth as Monique Dominguez (Sr., LaPuente, Calif.) scored on an April Slate (Sr., Land O’Lakes, Fla.) groundout. Patrick then doubled home Agen and Casis doubled to deep left-center field driving home Patrick to secure the victory.
Saint Leo’s offense exploded once again in the second game as they pounded out 13 runs on 13 hits. Following an Ally Maddox (Jr., Brandon. Fla.) double, Stroud drew a walk bringing Shelley Bartlett (Sr., Sarasota, Fla.) to the plate. Bartlett roped a one-out double to centerfield scoring Maddox. With two outs, Agen singled to leftfield scoring Stroud and Bartlett to put the Lions up 3-0 in the second inning. In the third inning, Urbanik continued her hot hitting, as she crushed her third home run of the series over the left field fence putting the Lions up 4-0. Urbanik followed her home run up with a double in the fourth to increase the lead to 7-0. In the fifth inning, Patrick singled home Slate and Bartlett to make the game 9-0. Casis followed with a two-run single of her own scoring Agen and Patrick to increase the Lions' lead to 11-0. Heather Stroud (Sr., San Antonio, Fla.) doubled home both Maddox and Urbanik, as the Lions wrapped up the sweep of the Tritons.
Ashton Whidden (Fr., Parrish, Fla.) picked up the first win of her collegiate career going 5.0 innings giving up just two hits and striking out one batter, improving to 1-0 on the season. The freshman only allowed four base runners the entire night. The shutout is the seventh for Lions' pitching in the last eight games.
The Lions continue SSC play Friday, March 28 against the Florida Southern College Moccasins in a doubleheader starting at 6:00 p.m. at University Field.
