St. Petersburg, Fla. – Katrina Lavadan drove in a career-high four runs on four hits as Lynn University's softball team crushed Eckerd, 12-2, in a Sunshine State Conference matchup Friday night. It was the first time this season that LU won a mercy-rule game. The Fighting Knights move to 10-32 overall and 5-11 in the SSC while the Tritons fall to 12-34 and 0-16 in league play.
All four of Lavadan's RBIs came in the sixth inning as Lynn scored nine runs while sending 13 batters to the plate. The first came on a single for the Knights' first run of the frame while her three-run triple later in the inning gave the Blue & White a 10-run lead. It was the third four-hit game for Lavadan in her three-plus seasons with the Fighting Knights.
Eckerd took the early 1-0 lead after the first inning but Lynn quickly tied the game in the top of the second. Carisa Cook reached on a fielding error to lead off the inning, the first of seven errors committed by the Tritons. Kasey Murray followed her with a single to advance Cook sixty feet. After Megan Mayfield grounded out to put two runners in scoring position, Cook scored on a fielder's interference on a ball hit by Brittany Gross.
The Tritons would take back the lead in the fifth but that was when Callie Darlin started to take over. Darlin retired the final batter of the second inning and then got the next 10 Tritons out before a two-out walk in the fifth with Lynn leading 3-2.
In the Lynn half of the fifth with the Knights trailing 2-1, the Knights took the lead with a pair of runs. Lavadan started the rally with an infield single before Mandi Brown drew a free pass to put the go-ahead run on first. Darlin then reached on a fielder's choice as Lavadan advanced to third. Another walk was issued to Anne Marie Van Casteren to load the bases before another error and a catcher's interference ruling gave LU the 3-2 advantage.
Lavadan's single in the sixth extended Lynn's lead to 4-2 as she plated Mayfield who doubled to left center and got to third on Gross' infield single. Lavadan reached second on the throw into the diamond while Gross ended up just sixty-feet from home. Gross and Lavadan would both score on a passed ball and a throwing error by the pitcher with Brown at the plate to give the Knights a four-run lead. Brown would eventually draw another walk before a pitching change was made.
The pitching change did not stop LU's momentum as Darlin reached on a fielder's choice while Brown advanced to second on a muff by the second baseman. After Van Casteren's walk loaded the bases, Cook singled to right field to drive in Brown and left the bases loaded. Eckerd then got Kasey Murray to ground into a 1-2-3 double play but Jordan Angel then reached on an error by the first baseman to score Van Casteren and Cook. Now with just a runner on first, Mayfield singled and advanced to second on the throw as Angel rounded second and got to third safely. After Gross' infield single, Lavadan cleared the bases with her three-bagger to right field.
After the side was retired, Darlin went back to the circle and struck out the side in the sixth to end the game. Darlin won her third straight start allowing just two runs on five hits while fanning six in six innings.
Besides Lavadan's career-night, Lynn also got a pair of hits from Gross, Brown, Cook and Mayfield as it recorded 13 hits as a team.
Alex Sasso was credited with the loss allowing three runs in five innings before Logan Rohrbach was responsible for another four without recording an out. Kaitlyn Dougherty allowed five more runs in her one inning of work.
LU is back in action Saturday, April 16, when it takes on the same Eckerd squad for a 1 pm doubleheader. Fans can follow the action of both games by logging onto www.LynnFightingKnights.com.
