NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- The Buccaneers softball team opened their 2025 campaign on Thursday in South Carolina against Vermont State Johnson at the North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex. Behind a 3-for-3 game from leadoff hitter Reagan Kerecz and a four-strikeout performance from Jennamarie Klemp the Bucs won their opener in five innings, 10-2, over the Badgers.

The Basics

Final: Buccaneers 10, Badgers 2

Records: Maritime 1-0

               VTSU Johnson 1-3

In the Circle

Maritime: Jennamarie Klemp (W, 1-0): 5 IP | 4 H | 2 R | 2 ER | 3 BB | 4 K

Johnson: Hannah Corvino (L, 1-3): 2.1 IP | 5 H | 7 R | 6 ER | 4 BB | 3 K

Inside The Numbers

Maritime

• Reagan Kerecz was 3-for-3 from the leadoff spot for the Bucs with a walk, RBI, and four stolen bases. 
• Freshman Eva Warren was 2-for-3 at the plate in her Bucs debut with a single and a double and added two RBI.
• Hannah Burton, Sarah Holler, and Klemp matched Warren's RBI with two each. 
• Burton, Holler, Natalie Gale, Rubi Butler, and Klemp each had one hit. 
• Gale came in to score twice and Butler, Ryleigh Ward, and Makynzi Sprague each scored once.
• Maritime tallied 10 hits, five total stolen bases, and turned two double plays defensively. 

Johnson

• Audrey Tembreull, Taylor Reddick, Grace Allen, and Olivia Davis each had a hit in the loss for the Badgers. 
• Tembreull and Davis each drove in a run.
• Tembreull had a double, and Davis recorded a triple to account for the only two Badger extra-base hits. 
• Kailyn Fortin and Davis scored the two Johnson runs in the game. 
• Kristie Zator had the lone stolen base for Johnson.

How It Happened

Maritime scored early and often in the five-inning season opener getting their first run across in the first inning as Kerecz scored after stealing third and coming home on a badger error.

The Bucs added four runs in the top of the second inning to extend their lead to 5-0. Gale scored on a Warren single to open the second inning scoring. Kerecz then singled to center field to drive in Butler. Burton drove in the third and fourth runs of the inning with a single up the middle that brought in Warren and Kerecz.

In the third inning, the Bucs added five more runs. Gale scored the first on a wild pitch followed by a Klemp single that drove in Ward. Warren then drove in her second run with a double down the left field line that scored Sprague who had pinch run earlier in the inning for Klemp. Holler added to the Bucs' lead with a single through the right side that brought home Kerecz and Warren for a second time in as many innings and the Bucs led 10-0 after three.

Maritime went scoreless in the fourth and the fifth innings and in the bottom of the fifth, the Badgers facing a mercy rule loss, finally got on the board with two runs. Davis drove in the first run with a triple to right to score Fortin and make the score 10-1. Tembreull reached on a fielder's choice and Davis scored from third on a late throw from the Bucs to the plate to make it 10-2. After a Maritime double play, the Badgers were down to their final out with the game-extending run on third base. Klemp closed the door on the Johnson opportunity and sealed the deal on the Buccaneers first victory of 2025, 10-2, over the Badgers.