LAKELAND â€" In yet another 1-run game between Florida Southern and Barry, the Moccasins were left to think about several little things that went against them. The Buccaneers were thinking about a very big one that went in their favor. Florida Southern finished with eight hits in the game, but it was a 2nd-inning home run by Amber Durkin that gave 8th-ranked Barry a 1-0 win.
The Moccasins (21-5, 4-3 Sunshine State Conference) out-hit the Buccaneers 8-5, but stranded six runners, hit into one double play and had one runner caught stealing. From the third through the seventh, Florida Southern had at least one hit in every inning, and picked up two apiece in the third, sixth and seventh, but was unable to get any of them across the plate against Brianna Smith, who tossed her seventh shutout of the season, and her fifth by a 1-0 margin. Smith struck out seven and walked none, improving her record to 12-3.
On the other side of the score was Christine Clark, whose only mistake was the home run by Durkin. Clark struck out five and also did not issue a walk, but fell to 14-3. The home run was one of just two hits Barry had through the first five innings, with Clark retiring 12 in a row after Durkin’s blast. The Bucs (23-5, 6-1) did get two hits in the top of the seventh against Clark, but catcher Devin Mathews threw out Cassy Zamora trying to steal third for the final out.
The Moccasins’ frustrations started in the bottom of the third after Christie Bailey and Sam Gale delivered back-to-back one-out singles. Steph Graziani then hit the ball hard too, but it was right at second baseman Kelly Martinez, who was able to tag Gale going in front of her, and complete the double play with a throw to first.
The Mocs got a leadoff hit and stolen base from Karlyn Scott in the fourth, but left her at second, and got Marty Wilcox all the way to third base in the bottom of the fifth after another hit, only to leave her stranded as well.
In the bottom of the sixth, Scott singled again with one out to give the Mocs another base runner. That brought Randi Grimes to the plate, who launched a pitch to deep right center where it was caught just in front of the fence for an out, perhaps inches from leaving the park. After a Brittany Martin single, Smith was called for a balk, putting runners at second and third for Clark. With a chance to help her own cause, Clark hit a grounder that barely stayed fair as it was fielded by Barry first baseman Julie Brito, who stepped on the bag for the third out of the inning.
Florida Southern mounted another threat in the bottom of the seventh when Mathews led off with a single up the middle and was replaced by pinch-runner Allasyn Lieneck. The Mocs immediately sent her to second, and Lieneck slid into second safely after knocking the ball out of Natalie Ojeda’s glove on the tag. Her momentum though carried her past the bag, and after a brief scramble, Ojeda retrieved the ball and put the tag down before Lieneck could fully recover.
Two batters later, Bailey singled up the middle for Florida Southern’s eighth hit of the game, but Smith was able to finish it when she got Gale on a called third strike.
Bailey and Scott each had two of Florida Southern’s eight hits, and Scott also made a spectacular catch in short center to rob Durkin of another hit in the fifth inning.
It was the 11th time in the last 13 years the teams have played at least one 1-0 game in their annual conference series, and the fifth time in the last six seasons they’ve started the series with a 1-run game.
Florida Southern and Barry will play again Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.
