Sports Lowdown

Caroline Dunleavy - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech Panthers women’s lacrosse team jumped on the 11 th ranked East Stroudsburg Warriors early Friday and weathered a late charge, to win their first ever NCAA tournament game, 17-10. The win sets up a third meeting with #1 ranked Florida Southern on Saturday. The sixth-ranked Panthers, who came in with a record of 13-3, were led by Caroline Dunleavy , who scored seven goals and added four assists. Sam Schiano and Allie Modica each had a hat trick for the Panthers. The game started pretty even, with the teams trading the first four goals. Allie Modica and Caroline Dunleavy scored for Florida Tech, while Alicia Stratten scored both goals for the Warriors. She would go on to score all four first half goals for East Stroudsburg, but the Panthers poured it on offensively, in between her tallies. With the game tied at two, the Panthers got goals from Sam Schiano, Dunleavy Modica and Schiano again, ...

Reid Neal - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech Panthers achieved season highs in runs and hits Monday night, as they scored a 21-5 victory over Nova Southeastern in the series finale. Every Florida Tech starter had a hit, with Ryan Sinzenich going 4-for-5 and Trent Masih going 4-for-6. Reid Neal and Nick Capra had three hits each and pinch-hitter Erik Molina hit his first home run of the season, a three-run dinger in the ninth inning, capping the scoring for the Panthers. This was an 8-5 game in the fourth inning, but the Panthers ran and hid late, scoring 12 runs in the final three innings and securing their 12 th Sunshine State Conference win of the season. Florida Tech starter Tyler Deel went five innings, picking up his fifth win of the season. The Panthers scored four runs in the top of the first, highlighted by a 2-run home run of the bat of Dan Szpik . Neal’s RBI single and an RBI triple from John Sternagel , produced the first...

Reid Neal - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Nova Southeastern Sharks showed why they are the defending NCAA Division II baseball champions on Sunday, completing a doubleheader sweep of the Florida Tech Panthers, winning game two, 11-6. Following a 7-6 win in game one , the Sharks found themselves down early in game two. only to fight back and take the lead late. Florida Tech followed their 14-hit barrage in game one, with 12 more in game two, but it wasn’t enough. Florida Tech (27-19, 11-9 SSC) got to NSU starter Jonny Ortiz in the top of the second inning. Nick Capra doubled and later scored on a single by Vincenzo Catanza . The lead was short-lived, as the Sharks jumped on Andy Marzheuser in the bottom of the frame. Michael Hernandez and Dylan Woods each hit two-run home runs, quickly giving the home team a 4-1 lead. To the Panthers credit, much like they did in game one, they would fight back in the top of the third.   Reid Neal , John Sternag...

Dan Szpik - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography The Florida Tech Panthers fell just short in the series opener at Nova Southeastern on Sunday, as the Sharks hung on for a 7-6 win in game one of a doubleheader. The Panthers (27-18, 11-8 SSC) were victimized by tough luck throughout the game, loading the bases a couple times and not getting the big hit and having a triple play turned by their defense, only to have the call reversed in what turned out to be the deciding play of the game. Panthers starter Ty Cohen (6-5) ran into trouble in the first inning, giving up one run on a Jeremy Vasquez RBI single. Cohen did limit the damage, despite the traffic the Sharks generated. He came back in the bottom of the second and got the Sharks in order, striking out Ryan Alvarez on three pitches and needing a total of six pitches to get out of the inning. Sharks starter Matt Hardy ran into trouble of his own in the third, giving up back-to-back singles to Ryan Sinzenich a...