Florida Southern Sweeps Doubleheader from Panthers
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Reid Neal - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography |
The Florida Southern Moccasins put Florida Tech behind the
eight ball in Sunshine State Conference play, sweeping the three-game weekend
series, highlighted by a doubleheader sweep on Saturday, at Andy Seminick-Les
Hall Field.
Following their 3-0 win on Friday in the series
opener, the Mocs took game one on Saturday, 3-2 and won a high-scoring game
two, 12-8.
Tyler Deel got the start for Florida Tech in game one and
pitched well for six innings, despite giving up a leadoff home run to Cody
Burgess to start the proceedings.
That run held until the bottom of the fourth, when Dan Szpik
and Ryan Sinzenich started the frame with back-to-back singles against Florida
Southern starter Jake Walsh, Nick Capra reached on fielder’s choice, loading
the bases. James Gronberg then grounded out to first, getting the run home and
tying the game.
Florida Tech got their first lead of the night in the bottom
of the fifth. The inning started with a Reid Neal double and after a sacrifice
grounder by Grant McKown got him to third, Szpik hit a sacrifice fly, making it
2-1. Neal ended the day 2-for-4. He was the only Florida Tech player with a
multi-hit day.
Deel got through six innings with the lead, allowing only
the one run on four hits. He walked three and struck out six, before giving way
to Drew Beyer. Walsh went seven, allowing four hits and two runs. He walked one
and struck out four.
Walsh (4-1) was still the pitcher of record in the top of
the eighth, when Jason Sierra singled to start the inning and went to third on
Omar Villaman’s double. Logan Browning’s RBI ground out tied the score and the
Mocs went ahead on an Austin Mauer single.
The Panthers went down in order in the eighth against Craig
Savage and Cameron Hanes overcame a Capra single and an error in the bottom of
the ninth, to nail down his fifth save.
For more info: Florida
Southern @ Florida Tech Box Score (Game 1)
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Daniel Szpik - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography |
In game two, the Panthers pounded out 15 hits but they were
one-upped by Florida Southern, who had 16. It was a close game until a four-run
top of the eighth, put the visitors on top to stay.
Florida Tech (13-8, 0-3 SSC) got on the board with a
four-run bottom of the first against starter A.J. Smith. John Sternagel singled to lead things off and
after he stole second, he went to third on a McKown single and came home
when McKown moved to second on the throw.
Szpik’s RBI single made it 2-0 and Sinzenich drove in the
third run with a double. One out later, David Wilson’s double plated Sinzenich.
Wilson would then move to third on a passed ball, but he was stranded.
Andy Marzheuser got through three innings with that lead,
but ran into trouble in the fourth. Sierra, Villaman and Browning hit
consecutive singles, before Marzheuser struck out Mauer. A sac fly by Christian
Maglich plated a run for the Mocs and a single by Evan Barnes cut the lead in
half, 4-2.
After a single by Burgess made it 4-3, Marzheuser was given
the hook, in favor of Colin Cristello. After he hit Pablo Cabrera, Mitch Reeves
gave the Mocs a 5-4 lead with his two-run single. Cristello got the final out
of the inning, but was replaced to start the fifth, by Grant Willcoxon.
Florida Tech got a few runs back in the fifth, thanks to a
two-run single by McKown and a sac fly by Szpik, giving the Panthers a 7-5 lead.
You had a feeling the way this game was going, that this lead wouldn’t be safe
and that was true, as Florida Southern scored three more in the top of the
sixth.
Barnes scored on a passed ball and Reeves tied the game at
seven on a sac fly. Browning gave his team the lead again, with an RBI single.
Florida Southern tacked on in the top of the eighth, when Barnes two run single
made it 10-7 and a two-run double by Burgess upped the lead to 12-7.
Szpik’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth scored
Sternagel, who was hit by a pitch to start the inning. That was as close as the
Panthers would get.
For more info: Florida
Southern @ Florida Tech Box Score (Game 2)
Szpik led the Panthers game two hit parade, going 3-for-4,
with three RBIs. Sternagel, Neal, McKown, Sinzenich and Wilson all had two
hits. McKown, like Szpik drove in three.
The Panthers continue their conference run with a visit to
Palm Beach Atlantic next weekend. The series starts on Friday with a 6:00 p.m.
game and wraps up Saturday, with a doubleheader, starting at noon.
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