Tampa's First-Inning Spark Leads to 16th Straight Victory

TAMPA, Fla. –  The University of Tampa softball team extended their win streak to 16 games with a first-inning outburst, which ultimately topped Barry University.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: Tampa 2 (W: Makaleigh Dooley, 20-5), Barry 0 (L: Gabby Vallee, 9-19)
Records: University of Tampa Spartans (26-9, 16-6 SSC), Barry University Buccaneers (13-29, 6-13 SSC)
Location: Naimoli Family Stadium || Tampa, Fla.
All-Time Series: The Spartans trail in the series, 72-40; In the last seven games at Naimoli, Tampa's been victorious in five contests.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

BOT 1st: Leading off for the Spartans, Lexie Chevalier singled through the left side and advanced to second on a wild pitch. The freshman outfielder moved to third after a sacrifice bunt from Cristina Clauberg. With two outs, Sam Worrell unleashed her power with a drive to deep left field and the Barry outfielder dropped the long-fly which gave UT a one-run lead. Tampa's leading hitter, Maddie Farrell, continued her trend with an RBI base-knock up the middle. 

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Dooley pitched a complete game for the 19th time in 23 starts; the senior allowed two hits, one walk and struck out 11 batters.
• Farrell has hit safely in six straight games, including at least one base-knock in 14 of the last 17 games. 
• Stephanie Balmer, a freshman shortstop, has registered a hit in eight of the last nine games including a current five-game hit streak.
• Barry's lead-off hitter, Lynsey Duncan, went 2-for-2 and walked once. She was the only Buccaneer with a hit or a walk. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The Spartans extend their winning streak to 16 games, the longest winning streak since 2012 when UT won 18 straight games.
• Dooley recorded at least nine strikeouts for the seventh time this season. It was the fourth time she's logged 10-plus strikeouts.

UP NEXT: The University of Tampa will complete the weekend series on Saturday afternoon with a double-header beginning at 1 p.m., and we will honor the senior class in between games. 

Text Alerts: UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.

Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple or Android store. Look for Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.