SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo softball team (19-20, 3-6 SSC) dropped a pair of Sunshine State Conference games to Barry University (21-6, 9-0 SSC), Sunday afternoon from the University Softball Stadium.
The Lions kept pace with a torrid Buccaneers’ offense in game one, but could not finish as they fell, 10-6. After scoring first in game two, Saint Leo saw Barry score seven unanswered runs over three innings to post a 7-1 win.
In total, the Lions registered 11 hits over 14 innings, including three apiece from juniors Ali Lamb and Ashlee Sismilich. Brittany Yates also cataloged a pair of hits, as well as her fourth home run of the season. Sarah Boyd, Alex Garris and Elysha Agen also amassed a hit apiece.
The Barry Buccaneers began where the left off last night as four runs crossed the plate in the top half of the first inning. Three of the Bucs’ runs came off the bat of Brooke Asher as she blasted a three-run home run.
This time, however, the Lions fought back. In the bottom of the first, Saint Leo used four hits including Yates’ 29th career home run to jump in front of the Buccaneers, 5-4. Outside of Yates’ three-run blast, the inning also saw a bases loaded walk by JamieLee Basinger and an RBI single by Sismilich, pushing all the momentum over towards the Lions.
Unfortunately for the Saint Leo faithful in attendance, the lead was short lived as Grace Collins tied the game with an RBI bunt single in the second.
Barry retook the lead in the third on a Jessica Bevlin RBI single, and was followed up with a three-run fourth inning to give the Buccaneers a 9-5 lead.
After an inside the park home run by Collins in the fifth closed the scoring for the Bucs, the Lions attempted to get back into the game in the sixth inning. Boyd roped an RBI single to plate Yates, but with two outs, the Lions could not find any other timely hitting as they fell, 10-6.
Of the trio of pitchers used, Ashton Whidden suffered the loss for Saint Leo as she fell to 3-7 in 2011.
In game two, zeros dominated the early portion of the contest. In fact, it was the Lions who collected the first run of the ballgame as Lamb’s RBI double down the right field line scored Boyd from second base during the second inning.
Barry answered the Lions’ challenge with a run of their own in the fourth to tie the ballgame up at one.
Things got away from Saint Leo in the fifth, however, as the Bucs used four hits and took advantage of a Lions’ fielding error to score five runs and take a 6-1 lead. Opposing pitcher, Brianna Smith delivered the big blow of the frame as she poked a two-run homer over the right centerfield fence.
Barry added an insurance run in the sixth on an Asher sacrifice fly, pushing the score to its eventual 7-1 final.
Jaime Walker was tagged with the loss in game two as she fell to 2-5 on the season.
The Lions could not keep pace with the Bucs’ 26 hits while five errors did not help their own cause.
Looking ahead, the Lions will await a visit from Sunshine State Conference rival the University of Tampa next Friday, March 25. First pitch for Friday’s single game is set for 6:00 p.m.
Box Score: Game One
Box Score: Game Two
