No. 11 Tampa Splits a Pair of Saturday Games against Saint Leo
SAINT LEO, Fla. - The No. 11 University of Tampa (16-5, 4-2 SSC) softball team split a pair of games against Saint Leo University (18-9, 3-3 SSC) in a doubleheader at University Stadium on Saturday.
Junior Kayla Cox started game one and earned her 12th victory of the season. She tossed a complete 7.0 innings with seven strikeouts and allowing one run on four hits.
The Spartans took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second.
Stacy Piagno came around to score on an RBI base hit by Kandi
Kuder.
Tampa added to the lead in the fourth on an RBI double by Piagno
that scored Meagan Burke. Katlyn Raatz followed with a sacrifice
fly to give the Spartans a 3-0 advantage.
The Lions answered in the bottom of the inning on an RBI base hit by Kelsey LaNeave. Chelsey Steedley scored to cut the lead to 3-1.
Kayleen Boatwright extended the Spartan lead to 5-1 in the fifth on a two-run homer to left field that also scored Brie Walton.
Boatwright added an RBI double in the sixth that plated Brittany Garcia to give Tampa a 6-1 advantage.
A fielding error by the Lions in the seventh allowed Burke to score giving the Spartans a 7-1 lead, which would be the final score.
Julia Morrow started the second game where she went 4.2 innings with two strikeouts and allowing five runs. She suffered her third loss of the year and now holds an overall record of 4-3. Katlyn Raatz pitched the final 1.2 innings with three strikeouts and allowing three unearned runs.
Saint Leo opened the scoring in the bottom of the first and jumped out to a 5-0 lead. McKenzie Burns scored the first run of the game on an RBI single by Rachelle Gremo. Brittany Ewing tripled down the right field line to clear the bases and extend the lead to four. She would score the final run of the inning on a fielder's choice off the bat of LaNeave.
Piagno homered in the top of the second and cut the deficit to 5-1.
The Spartans scored two runs in the top of the fourth on a fielding error by the Lions that prolonged the inning. Meagan Brislin scored on the error, while Piagno scored on a passed ball to chip away at the lead.
Saint Leo scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth off two fielding errors by Tampa. The Spartans were held scoreless in the seventh and the Lions won the game by a final score of 8-3.
UT will return to action Friday evening at Rollins for the first of a three game set. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Live stats will be available through www.tampaspartans.com.
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