Box Score
LAKELAND - Florida Southern returned home to Henley Field here Friday evening and used strong pitching performance from senior Clay Chapman en route to earning a 6-0 win over Albany State in the opener of a three-game series against the Golden Rams.
Chapman pitched eight scoreless innings and recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts, including striking out the side in the first inning and recording at least two strikeouts in four other innings. On the night, Chapman scattered four hits and didn't walk a batter in his 104 pitch outing.
With the win, the Mocs improve to 4-4 on the season, while Albany State falls to 2-6 overall.
Over its last three games, the Mocs pitching staff has pitched a total of 25 innings and has allowed just one run, while striking out 26 and walking just three and has recorded an ERA of 0.25. In those three games, the Mocs have thrown two shutouts and allowed just one run in the other game.
The Mocs gave Chapman (1-1) all the offense he would need in the bottom of the first inning as they used two walks, two singles and two stolen bases to score three runs. In the inning, senior second baseman Conor Szczerba (Titusville, Fla.) led off with a walk and moved to second on a one-out single by junior centerfielder Keith Curcio (Sarasota, Fla.). On a strike out by senior first baseman Trey Vavra (Menomonie, Wis.), Szczerba and Curcio each recorded a stolen base to put runners on second and third with two outs.
Junior third baseman Chris Dennis (Rockledge, Fla.) drew a walk to load the bases and then one batter later, senior designated hitter Jimmy Correnti (Fort Myers, Fla.) received a bases loaded walk from ASU starter Allen Fender to score Szczerba with the game's first run and then redshirt sophomore right fielder Domininc Brugnoni (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) delivered a two-run single through the left side to give the Mocs a 3-0 lead, before Fender got out of the inning by forcing junior catcher Joey Miller (Sarasota, Fla.) to line out.
FSC's lead grew to 4-0 in the third inning as Correnti scored from second on an RBI single to left by Miller off of ASU reliever Jermony Arrington, who replaced Fender in the second inning. Correnti was hit by a pitch and moved to second on his first stolen base of the season.
While its offense gave Chapman a four-run lead, he was mowing the Golden Rams down on the mound as he after allowing two singles in the first inning, the right hander from Orlando retired the next ASU batters in order before allowing a two-out single in the top of the seventh inning to Uwen Udofia. Chapman, though, would leave Udofia stranded at first as he got the next Golden Ram hitter, Robert Latner to fly out to left to end the inning.
The Mocs added some insurance runs for Chapman in the bottom of the seventh inning on an RBI double by Correnti and an RBI single by Brugnoni to give the Mocs a 6-0 lead. Correnti's first double of the season plated Curcio with the game's fifth run after Curcio walked to lead off the inning, stole second and moved to third on a ground out before scoring on the double. Brugnoni RBI single through the left side plated Correnti with the game's sixth run.
Brugnoni finished the night 2-for-4 at the plate with a career-high tying 3 RBIs, while Correnti had one hit, scored two runs and recorded 2 RBIs in the win. Curcio also recorded two hits and was on base four times in the game as he also drew two walks. It was Curcio's team-leading third multi-hit game of the season.
In the eighth inning, the Mocs had another scoring opportunity as they put runners on first and second thanks to a walk and single with one out, before Jared Arrington, who was the fourth pitcher of the night for ASU, got out of the jam by retiring both Vavra on a line out to left and Dennis on a fly out to left.
Junior Austin Barnett (Lakeland, Fla.), who was making his first appearance of the season, pitched the ninth for Chapman and retired the Golden Rams in order, including striking out Stephen Lightfoot to end the game.
ASU had four singles on the night as in addition to Udofia, Reise McDaniel, Jacob Campbell and Hector Carraquillo each had hits in the loss.
Fender (0-1) took the loss for ASU on the mound as he pitched 1.1 innings and allowed three hits and three runs (three earned), while walking four and striking out one. On the night, ASU's four pitchers combined to record nine walks as along with Curcio, Szczerba and Dennis each drew two walks in the win.
The two teams will conclude the three-game series on Saturday, Feb. 15 with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at Henley Field.
