Sports Lowdown

Sara Grenier - Photo credit: James Ragan The Florida Tech Panthers had three four-goal scorers in Sunday’s win over 17-9 win over the Tiffin, Ohio University Dragons. Florida Tech they improved their early season record to 2-1. It was the season opener for Tiffin. Stephanie Stuart made her third straight start in goal for the Panthers and she made eight saves. Tiffin goalie Kat Schneeberger was blitzed by a Panthers shooting spree, totaling 31 shots. She made nine saves. Sara Grenier , Caroline Dunleavy , and Sam Schiano scored four each for the Panthers, with Allie Modica tallying twice. The Dragons were led by Elle MacMillan, who found the back of the net five times. It was a dominating performance by the Panthers, who forced 17 of the 26 Tiffin turnovers and had a 26-18 advantage in ground balls. Dunleavy scored the first two goals for the Panthers less than four minutes apart, but Tiffin got two in the middle. The second Dunleavy goal sparked a six-goal run ...

Reid Neal - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography A three-run home run by Quincy’s Jake Walters in the top of the ninth inning was the difference Saturday, as the Florida Tech Panthers lost their second game of the weekend 8-5, to the Quincy Hawks. The decisive long ball was the second of the day for Walters, who also hit one in the second inning. Florida Tech’s Reid Neal matched him with home runs in the bottom of the first and bottom of the ninth. It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the day, with the teams combining for 19 hits, but in the end, the Panthers suffered their second loss of the weekend, at Bob Stein Stadium in Dahlonega, GA. Quincy struck first against Florida Tech starter Tyler Deel .  Jack Klages doubled leading off the game and later scored on an error. The Panthers answered immediately in the bottom of the inning. John Sternagel drew a walk to lead off the inning and Reid Neal took Quincy starter Mark Niebrugge, deep and out, giving the...

Carson Clough - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech lacrosse team suffered their third straight loss Saturday afternoon, a 13-11 defeat at Mount Olive. It was another hard-luck loss for the Panthers, who have lost all three games by a combined five goals. The Ninth-ranked Trojans scored eight goals in the second half, improving their record to 3-0. Daniel Flock took the loss between the pipes for Florida Tech, falling to 1-3 on the season. The Panthers played well in the first half, getting goals 10 seconds apart from Reid Chaconas and Nick Wynne , against Mount Olive keeper Will Urban. Less than a minute later, Charlie Morrisette made it a 3-0 lead for the visitors. The Trojans scored the next three goals, tying the game on Luke Dalman’s tally, with 4:39 left in the quarter. The Panthers regained the lead 2:59 later, with a goal from Austen Zugelter . After a Mount Olive goal tied the game 34 seconds into the second quarter, Tyler Covey ,...

John Sternagel - Photo credit: James Ragan Florida Tech managed just three hits against North Georgia Saturday, dropping a 6-1 decision to the Nighthawks. The Panthers fell to 9-4 overall and 5-3 on the road. The Panthers got on the board first against North Georgia starter Steven Bower. John Sternagel led the game off with a single and later went to third on a failed pickoff. He scored on Grant McKown ’s ground out. The lead didn’t last long, as the number 27 ranked Nighthawks tied the score on a Michael Gouge single. Both pitchers were matching outs for the next few innings, until North Georgia struck for four runs in the bottom of the sixth against Florida Tech Hurler Ty Cohen . RBI singles from Gouge and Trevor Sams, along with a two-run single down the left field line by Conner Corbitt gave the home team a 5-1 lead. Cohen (2-1) was done after six innings, allowing seven hits and five runs (four earned). He threw 87 pitches, walking two and striking out five. ...

Following a loss on Friday in game one of the series, the Florida Tech softball team looked for revenge Saturday in a doubleheader against the Tampa Spartans. Unfortunately, the home team had other ideas, as they swept the Panthers 3-2 and 6-1. Game one took nine innings to decide a winner, with Tampa scoring in the bottom of the frame, thanks to a Shelby Press RBI single. Florida Tech (10-8, 0-3 SSC) struck first in game one against Tampa starter Corynn Miner. Vanessa Rubio reached on a fielder’s choice and came home on a Hailey Leonard double. After Makayla Palmer walked, Rachel Kraak singled home Leonard, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead. Audrey Gangloff walked, loading the bases, but Kaitlin Buchholz flied out to end the inning. Rachel Pence got the start for Florida Tech and like Miner, ran into early trouble. Taylor Farrell singled with one out and was chased home on a triple by Bre Setree. A sac fly by Makaleigh Dooley, tied things up at two. It was a p...

Sam Daniel - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish put a damper on Florida Tech’s Senior Day Saturday, beating the Panthers 80-76 in the regular season finale for both teams. Sam Daniel led the home team with 25 points, but FIT couldn’t overcome a sluggish second half that saw them get outscored 47-36. “In the second half, they forced us into a lot of turnovers,” said Panthers head coach Billy Mims. “We were real sloppy and they pressed us, turned it into a full-court game and we didn’t take advantage of the pressure.” To Mims point, his team turned it over 13 times in the second half, while only forcing eight. Senior Robert Booth finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Patrick Anderson chipped in 13 and Jordan Majors had 10. The game was even for much of the first half, before the Panthers before Anderson and Majors hit consecutive threes to get Florida Tech a 31-20 lead. After Dakota Zinser hit one for PBA, senior Raf...

Julie McCarthy - Photo credit: James Ragan Julie McCarthy scored 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds Saturday, in her final regular season game with the Panthers, helping Florida Tech secure a 56-46 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic and finish the regular season on a winning note. “Obviously, there was no hangover for Julie with the corrective measures we took on Wednesday ,” said Florida Tech coach John Reynolds. Give her credit for being a good teammate, I’m proud of her.” “This group of kids has faced all kinds of adversity throughout the year, as much as any team I’ve ever coached,” he continued. “Today what we did was battle ourselves back to be 13-13. We got back to .500… and I thought that was the goal.” Florida Tech (13-13, 8-10 SSC) dominated the first quarter, leading 17-8 and played well in the second quarter, getting three pointers from Markeema Crawford and Amanda Allen early. DeLise Williams made her defense pay off after a steal, she dished to A...

Daniel Szpik - Credit: James Ragan Photography Florida Tech starter Andy Marzheuser gave up one hit in six innings on Friday and got plenty of offensive support, as the Panthers took down the Golden Rams of Albany State, 10-2 in Dahlonega, GA. Marzheuser (3-0) gave up two runs (one earned), walked five and struck out two, throwing 91 pitches. Jake Lane threw 34 pitches, earning a three inning save for the Panthers, who improved to 9-3 on the season. The Panthers jumped out in front in the top of the first, with Reid Neal doubling with one out, followed by a Grant McKown walk. They weren’t on base long, because Daniel Szpik took Albany State starter Lawrence Hyde deep, giving the Panthers an early 3-0 lead. FIT added a run in the second. Kevin Capella hit a two out double down the left field line and went to third on a wild pitch. John Sternagel doubled to bring him home. Albany State (0-9) answered in the bottom of the inning, when Ryan McClend walked an...

Pitching was the name of the game Friday night, as the Tampa Spartans beat Florida Tech 2-0 in the Sunshine State Conference softball opener for the Panthers. Rachel Pence (7-4) allowed four hits and two runs (one earned) in six innings of work. She struck out one and walked one. On most nights that would be good enough for a victory, but on this night, she was outdueled by Makaleigh Dooley, who went the distance for the home team, allowing just one hit to the Panthers. The Panthers did get a runner on in the top of the first when Vanessa Rubio reached on an error, but she was stranded. Tampa got on the board in the bottom of the second when Corynn Miner doubled with one out and came home one batter later, on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Maddie Farrell. Florida Tech (10-6, 0-1) threatened in the top of the fourth, starting the inning with a Krista Patterson single, Rubio hit into a fielder’s choice and moved to second on Makayla Palmer ’s walk. Rachel Kraak then ...

Caroline Dunleavy scored four goals Friday afternoon - Photo credit: James Ragan The Florida Tech women’s lacrosse team traveled to North Carolina on Friday to take on Belmont Abbey. The trip was worth it, as the Panthers scored a 17-5 victory, scoring the last 16 goals of the game. Stephanie Stuart made eight saves on 13 shots, picking up the win in goal for the Panthers. Belmont Abbey Keeper Annie Brannon fell to 3-1, making 12 saves on 29 Florida Tech shots. Belmont Abbey (3-1) came into the game undefeated and had wins of 23-0, 23-1 and 9-8, giving them 55 goals and an average of 18.33 goals a game. None of that mattered to the Panthers, who weathered an early storm by the Crusaders and shut that high-powered offense down in the second half. It looked like the home team was going to continue that offensive dominance early. With the game tied at one, following a goal Lauren Tybor 8:45 into the game, Belmont Abbey scored the next four goals. Three of those four...

Derek Murphy - Credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech Panthers got a big win on Wednesday, with a 105-90 triumph over the Tampa Spartans at the Clemente Center. The team was in a must-win situation, as they try to claw their way into the Sunshine State Conference tournament next week and they got the job done, with six players scoring in double figures. Derek Murphy scored a team-high 24 points to lead the Panthers. He was 8-for-9 from the field and hit all eight of his free-throws. Just for good measure he had six rebounds and one steal.  “Every game he seems to get better and this was the best game of his career,” said Panthers coach Billy Mims. “He’s a sophomore who’s really coming into his own.” Jordan Majors had 22, Patrick Anderson added a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists. He was 6-for-9 from the floor and hit all four of his shots behind the arc. Sam Daniel scored 17 points and Rafael Casanova and Robert Booth chipped in with 1...

Ashle Thompson (#4) had a career-high 12 points on Wednesday - Credit: James Ragan Photography Senior Ashle Thompson scored a career-high 12 points and pulled down seven boards on Wednesday, helping Florida Tech beat Tampa 58-54 in a Sunshine State Conference battle at the Clemente Center. Thompson, who scored a total of 15 points last season, took advantage of the opportunity she was afforded Wednesday night, getting the start and paying big dividends. She was 6-of-7 from the floor. “I’m really proud of her, but more importantly, I’m happy for her,” said Florida Tech coach John Reynolds. “I am happy for a senior who has been a role player for four years and has seen limited action. Over the last couple weeks, she just decided she was gonna go out and have fun and tonight, she had fun.” Thompson scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half, when the Panthers scored 36 as a team. This despite Florida Tech being without the services of Amanda Allen (sprained ankle...

The Florida Tech softball team split a doubleheader with Valdosta State on Tuesday, winning game one 11-2, before dropping the second game 6-5. The Panthers did all their damage in two of the five innings played in the first game, pounding out 13 hits. Alexus Smith finished game one 3-for-4 and the Karina Suicava , who has done a great job in the nine spot for the Panthers in the early going, finishing 3-for-3 on Tuesday, with two RBIs. Rachel Pence (7-2) gave up five hits in her five innings of work, with both Valdosta State runs coming in the first inning. She walked two and did not strike out a batter. Blazers pitcher Avery Lamb went the first three innings, with the Panthers exploding for seven runs in the top of the third. Suicava and Smith singled and Krista Patterson drew a walk to load the bases. Vanessa Rubio doubled in two, tying the game and the Panthers were off and running. Hailey Leonard ’s RBI ground out made it 3-2 and Makayla Palmer had an RBI...

Nick Capra - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The first game of Sunday’s doubleheader was a forgettable one for Florida Tech, as they fell to Spring Hill, 19-6. After the Panthers pounded out 18 hits in their 13-1 win Saturday, the Badgers matched that number in game one on Sunday. The Panthers came back in game two with an impressive 7-0 victory, thanks in large part to the five scoreless innings thrown by Andy Marzheuser . Tyler Deel (2-1) allowed seven runs in the first two innings Sunday and faced one batter in the third before giving way to Grant Willcoxon who finished the third, but was yanked after facing four batters in the fourth. The Panthers used six pitchers in game one. Spring Hill scored two in the first, before putting five on the board in the second. Conner Harrison’s three run homer highlighted that second inning. Deel pitched two-plus innings allowing seven runs (six earned) on five hits, walked three and struck out five. He threw 70 pitche...

Austen Zugelter - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography Austen Zugelter scored two of his four goals in the fourth quarter on Sunday, but the climb up the mountain proved to be too much, as the Panthers fell 11-8 to the Wingate Bulldogs in a non-conference lacrosse matchup. Dylan Riley scored twice, while Nick Wynne and Carson Clough had single tallies for the Panthers. The Bulldogs were led by Conor Gronbach and Alex Llerandi, who each scored twice. The Panthers took 38 shots against Wingate goalie Will Sheridan, who made a couple key saves in the fourth quarter with the Panthers on the doorstep. He was credited with 12 saves. The Bulldogs took 34 shots, with Panthers netminder Daniel Flock making nine saves. Flock struggled out of the gate, giving up three goals in the first quarter. Daniel Godwin started the scoring 2:51 in and Gronbach scored just over five minutes later with the extra man, giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. Zugelter’s first goal of the day...

The Armstrong State Pirates got their second win over the Florida Tech Panthers in about two weeks, as the visitors scored a 4-3 victory Sunday, in the Florida Tech Marriott Brawl at the Beach tournament. Sierra Peebles (5-0), who was fresh off a no-hitter on Saturday against East Stroudsburg, was back in the circle Sunday and the Panthers got to her early, scoring twice in the bottom of the third. Karina Suicava singled, extending her hitting streak to eight games. Alexus Smith then grounded one to third, that was fired over the head of the second baseman and into right field. Suicava scored on the play and Smith made it all the way to third. Krista Patterson then hit a sac fly, giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead. Florida Tech starter Rachel Pence kept the Pirates off the board until the fifth inning, when Tazha Williams sent one over the wall, cutting the lead in half, 2-1. It was quite a turnaround for the Pirates, who had a rare unsportsmanlike conduct warning issu...

Ryan Sinzenich - Photo credit: James Ragan The Florida Tech baseball team brought their bats to Georgia Saturday, scoring eight runs in the last three innings, en route to a convincing 13-1 win over Spring Hill College. John Sternagel , Ryan Sinzenich and James Gronberg each had three hits in the Panthers victory.  Grant McKown and Nick Capra added two apiece. The 20 th ranked Panthers improved their record to 7-2 on the season. Ty Cohen pitched seven innings for the Panthers, picking up his second win of the season. He threw 98 pitches, allowing three hits and one run. He walked four and struck out nine. Badgers starter Dylan Kiene had little success against Florida Tech. He gave up seven runs in his seven innings of work for Spring Hill, allowing 13 hits. Sternagel’s single got things started in the top of the first. He stole second and scored on McKown’s double. One batter later, Sinzenich singled to move the runners up and Capra brought McKown home...

The Florida Tech softball team sent 15 batters to the plate in the fourth inning Saturday, scoring 11 runs in the frame and beating Stonehill 14-3, in a game that went four and a half innings before being called. Amanda Kahn pitched four innings, to secure the win. The Panthers (9-3) pounded out 11 hits in the romp, led by Karina Suicava who went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Makayla Palmer drove in three runs as well. Suicava got things started in the bottom of the second with a bases loaded single off Skyhawks starter Jennifer Mayette. Rachel Kraak , Audrey Gangloff and Alexus Smith all had hits in the inning. A wild pitch scored Smith with the third run of the inning. Stonehill (0-3) got two runs back in the top of the third inning, both unearned against Kahn. Erin Brayden drove the runs in with a single. Taylor Whaley followed that with a single, but Kraak threw Brayden out at the plate, ending the inning. The Skyhawks did tie the game ...

Sam Daniel - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech Panthers won their second straight game Saturday, getting a 102-97 victory over the Embry-Riddle Eagles. The victory completes the season sweep for the Panthers, who beat the Eagles in Melbourne back on January 4 on a Sam Daniel buzzer-beater . With the Eagles being a provisional member of the Sunshine State Conference this season, the victory does not help Florida Tech in the standings, but it should give them momentum heading into the last two games of the season, both at home. All five Florida Tech starters finished in double figures, led by 25 from Sam Daniel . Jordan Majors had 19, Patrick Anderson 18, Derek Murphy 16 and Rafael Casanova 15. Daniel had about 20 family members in the crowd on Saturday, per head coach Billy Mims, who talked to Jim Mitchell at the conclusion of the game. It was a good night for the Daniel family to make the trip. The Panthers (14-12, 6-10 SSC) led for o...

Panthers coach John Reynolds - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography It was not as good night on the court for the Florida Tech women on Saturday, as they were beaten soundly by the Embry-Riddle Eagles, 65-45. The Panthers never led in this game and shot just 31.4 percent from the field, while the Eagles were 25-of-47 from the field, for 53.2 percent. DeLise Williams 11 points led the Panthers, she also had four steals. Tereza Sedlakova tallied nine points and three rebounds. “If there’s one positive that comes out of this game, it doesn’t mean anything,” said Panthers coach John Reynolds. “It doesn’t affect us in the league, it doesn’t affect us in the standings, but it sure as hell showed me whose got heart and who doesn’t.” The reason the game doesn't affect the Panthers conference standing, is because Embry-Riddle is a provisional member of the Sunshine State Conference, which means they are not eligible for conference tournament play until next season. S...

The Florida Tech women’s lacrosse Team watched an 11-6 second half lead go up in smoke Friday night, losing to the Lindenwood Lions by the score of 15-12 in the season opener for both teams. The Panthers were led by Allie Modica who had three goals and two assists. Caroline Dunleavy had two goals and one assist and Lauren Tybor had two goals in her Panthers debut. This was a game that the Panthers had within reach, but Maria Johnson took over in the second half, winning an overwhelming majority of the draws and the Lions turned them into goals, scoring seven times in just over five minutes in the second half. Florida Tech (0-1) got off to a good start, scoring four goals in just over four minutes. Aleah Fjelstad , who was making her Panthers debut scored twice in that run, bookended by goals from Leah Dunn and Modica. After the Lions made a three-goal run, Tybor scored her first goal 5:38 into the contest, giving the Panthers 5-3 lead. Tybor was knocked down ...