VALDOSTA, Ga. – Casey Pyron's (Fr., Keeling, Va.) two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning staged a late comeback that fell short as the #7 Barry University softball team (44-19) fell to the #3 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, 4-3 in an elimination game at NCAA Division II Softball South Region Tournament at the VSU Softball Complex Sunday afternoon.

Florida Gulf Coast (62-7) opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. Jessica Rouse led off the inning with a single to third base and scored as Desiree Miller followed with a home run to left field for a 2-0 Eagle lead.

Barry cut its deficit in half in the top of the third. Brittany Anderson was hit by a pitch to open the inning and moved to second on a Shyla Rider ground out. Cristina DeTagle followed with a single past a drawn infield to plate Rider to cut the Buccaneer deficit to 2-1.

Florida Gulf Coast's Rachel Homan and Cheyenne Jenks belted back-to-back home runs to lead off the bottom of the third, which extended the Eagle lead to 4-1.

The Buccaneers rallied in the top of the seventh as they scored a pair of runs to fall one short of tying the game. Holli Davis reached on a throwing error by Carmen Paez at third to open the inning and scored when Pyron hit her first career home run of the season. Ali Perantoni and Shyla Rider followed with single hits, but Rachel Edinger came on and closed out the game to earn her sixth save.

Frantz allowed seven hits and three runs, two of which were earned, in six and a third innings to improve to 29-4 on the season. Miller was three-of-three at the plate to lead the Eagles while Homan finished with two hits.

Jack surrendered four hits and three runs in two innings to fall to 27-12. In addition to Pyron's home run and two RBI, she pitched four innings surrendering one run on four hits and struck out four. Rider, Perantoni and DeTagle each tallied two hits for the Bucs.

Barry's season came to an end with a 44-19 overall record, while Florida Gulf Coast advanced to face the #4 Florida Southern in the NCAA Division II South Region championship game at 3:30 pm.

 

 

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Barry............... 001 000 2 -  3  8  0      (44-19)

Florida Gulf Coast.. 022 000 X -  4  8  1      (62-7)

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Pitchers: Barry - Amber Jack; Casey Pyron(3). Florida Gulf Coast - Dana Frantz;

Rachael Edinger(7).

Win-Dana Frantz(29-4)  Save-Rachael Edinger(6)  Loss-Amber Jack(27-12)  T-1:52  A-164

HR BUS - Casey Pyron (1).

HR FGCU - Rachel Homan (19); Cheyenne Jenks (9); Desiree Miller (6).

Jack faced 1 batter in the 3rd.

Game: SB0513