North Miami-Dade News

Stone-Folmar homers to start Buccaneer offense late

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- The Barry University softball team hosted the nation's fourth-ranked Division II squad from the University of Texas at Tyler in the first-ever meetings with the Buccaneers and the Patriots. Texas Tyler took both games, 7-3 and 4-1, with winning pitchers, Tatum Goff (W, 16-0) and Shea O'Leary (W, 5-2), taking shutout bids into the late innings. Buccaneer starters, Maci Barnhart (L, 6-6) and Cassandra Lee (L, 6-3), both limited the Patriots to one or no hits through their first three innings of work. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: #4 Texas Tyler 7-4, Barry 3-1
Records: Barry (14-13, 5-4 SSC), Texas Tyler (25-4, 13-2 LSC)
All-Time Series: Patriots sweep the first meetings ever between the two schools in softball. 

SUMMARY:
Game 1 | Patriots 7, Buccaneers 3

• T4: JT Smith was hit by pitch that appeared to go off the end of her bat. She stole second. Audrey Escamilla doubled down the right field line for the game's first run. Grace Davis pinch ran for Escamilla and stayed on second when Caitlyn Wells reached on an error. Berlyn Grossman pinch ran for Wells. Courtney Plocheck singled through the left side to score Davis. After a foul out, Michelle Arias lined a three-run homer to left field. | Texas Tyler 5, Barry 0
• T6: With one out, Avery Farr drew a walk and had Angelique Rangel run for her at first base. Michelle Arias followed with her second home run of the day, an opposite field blast to right.. | Texas Tyler 7, Barry 0
• B6: Mac Stone-Folmar led off the inning with her first home run of the season, a solo shot to right center. Rylee Lord walked with one out and moved to second when Hayley Pasma singled through the left side. Sofia Chamorro singled to center field to lead the bases. New pitcher Caitlyn Wells walked the only batter she faced, pinch-hitter Brooke Moeller, whose base on balls drove in the second run for the Bucs. Shea O'Leary came on to pitch to Brooklyn Rushton and surrendured a single through the right side that scored Pasma. With one out and the tying run coming to the plate on successive at bats, O'Leary then retired the next two Buccaneers and added a 1-2-3 7th inning for the save. | Texas Tyler 7, Barry 3

Game 2 | Patriots 4 , Buccaneers 1

• T2: Another hit-by-pitch ignited the first scoring for the visitors. Avery Farr took the second pitch from Cassandra Lee of the left knee and advanced to second on a ground out to Stone-Folmar at short. Sam Schott reached on a fielder's choice while Farr advanced to third. Amanda Marek reached on an error and Farr scored. | Texas Tyler 1, Barry 0
• T4: The Patriots scored three unearned runs on two errors, a passed ball, and a wild pitch. Cassidi Mullen did collect the first base hit of the game for either side. | Texas Tyler 4, Barry 0
• B7: Shea O'Leary carried a no-hitter two outs into the 6th inning. Taylor Thompson beat out a grounder to deep shortstop for the first Buccaneer hit. In the 7th, Stone-Folmar led off with her team-leading eighth double of the season. After a groundout, Rylee Lord drove a run-scoring triple to right center. O'Leary completed the game with a pair of popouts. | Texas Tyler 4, Barry 1

NOTEWORTHY:

• Buccaneers conclude a string of five straight games against top 15 teams - No. 2 North Georgia (2), No. 13 Valdosta State, and No. 4 Texas Tyler (2).
• Mac Stone-Folmar had a home run and double on the day for two of Barry's nine hits.
• JT Smith swiped two bases for the Patriots to run her season mark at 22-for-22 on base thefts.
• Michelle Arias had five RBI and two home runs in the opener.
• After a leadoff single to Mullen, Maci Barnhart set down nine straight Patriots before hitting the first batter in the 4th inning.

ON THE HORIZON: 

Barry hosts Caldwell University in a doubleheader on Sunday, March 12, beginning with first pitch at noon.

Original source can be found here.