MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.— The Barry Buccaneers swept a doubleheader from cross-town rival St. Thomas at Bobcat Field on Saturday.
In game one, the Bobcats (2-10) challenged the Buccaneers (20-5) before ultimately falling by the score of 7-3. In game two, the Buccaneers took a commanding lead and held on for the 8-0 victory.
In the first game, the Bucs jumped on top in the fourth inning. With one out, Dee Espinosa and Julie Brito hit back-to-back homers for a 2-0 lead.
After the Bobcats climbed back on top 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth, Brito once again came through with the long ball. Hunter Mars and Alayna Gallagher singled and the Bobcats chose to walk Espinosa to lead the bases. Brito deposited a payoff pitch from St. Thomas starter Cristina Sacramento over the wall in left center for a 6-3 lead. Brito came up again in the sixth with the bases loaded and drew a walk to force in Ashley Fernandez for the final run.
Taylor Sabol (6-3) picked up the win for the Bucs. She allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks in a complete game. Sacramento (0-4) was tagged with the loss. She allowed seven runs on nine hits and seven walks and struck out one.
In the second game, the Bucs finally broke through against Carson Catasus (1-2) in the fourth inning. Lexi Corrente was hit by Catasus and scored on a single by Fernandez.
In the fifth, the Bucs put up four runs. Catasus hit both Espinosa and Martinez and Espinosa scored on a wild pitch. Kristina Osorio laced a double into centerfield to score Martinez. After Fernandez walked and Mars singled to load the bases, Bobcat catcher Kristen Scott was called for interference on Megan Copeland, forcing in Osorio, and Gallagher singled to drive in Fernandez.
In the sixth, Barry tacked on three more. Martinez had an RBI double to score Brito and scored herself on a fly ball by Corrente. Fernandez knocked in Osorio, who had tripled to right.
Kristina Pazienza (4-0) kept her slate clean with another shutout, her third in three starts. She held the Bobcats to just three hits. She struck out one and did not walk a batter. Catasus took the loss. She surrendered eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits, three walks and four hit batters.
The Buccaneers won all four games from the Bobcats this season, three of them by identical 8-0 scores in six innings.
The Bucs host the Molloy College Lions on Wednesday, Mar. 18 at Buccaneer Field, before traveling to Tampa to face the Spartans in Sunshine State Conference play on the weekend.
