Mocs Win Series Against Palm Beach Atlantic, Take Nightcap of Doubleheader Against Sailfish

PALM BEACH GARDENS - Florida Southern closed out its three-game series against Palm Beach Atlantic here Saturday afternoon by posting a 10-7 win in the nightcap of its doubleheader at Palm Beach Gardens Community High School.

With the win in the final game of Saturday's doubleheader, the 16th-ranked Moccasins win the series against the Sailfish as they took two of three games as they won the series opener on Friday evening, 24-5 and then fell 11-8 in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.

FSC improved to 20-9 overall on the season with the split on Saturday, while PBA falls to 12-13-1 on the season.

In the nightcap, the Mocs pounded out 15 hits and scored runs in all but the seventh inning. Leading the offensive barrage in the nightcap was junior second baseman Chris Dennis (Rockledge, Fla.), who went 3-for-4 at the plate, while four other Mocs had two hits.

FSC's No. 3-5 hitters in the order (senior first baseman Trey Vavra, Dennis and redshirt sophomore rightfielder Dominic Brugnoni) combined to go 7-for-12 with four runs scored and four RBIs as Vavra and Brugnoni each went 2-for-4. 

The Mocs jumped in front 2-0 in the first inning of the nightcap thanks to RBI singles from Dennis and freshman designated hitter Scottie Withrow (Seminole, Fla.) off of Sailfish starter Kenny Silvestri. Withrow also finished with two hits and scored two runs in the win.

PBA would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a double, a passed ball and a wild pitch from Moccasin sophomore hurler Ben Richardson (Orlando, Fla.).

The Mocs would get that run back in the top of the second inning to take a 3-1 lead thanks to an RBI single by junior centerfielder Keith Curcio (Sarasota, Fla.) Curcio's single scored freshman catcher Kevin Fuller (Ocala, Fla.), who had led off the inning with a single, moved to second on a ground out and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring.

PBA would tie the game in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a lead-off homer by Ryan Drew and an RBI groundout by Elliot Gonzalez.

The Mocs would respond by plating three runs in the third inning to retake a 6-3 lead. The Mocs got the scoring started in the inning on a lead-off homer from Dennis, scored its second run on a balk by Silvestri and scored its third run on a groundout by Fuller.

FSC's lead grew to 7-3 in the fourth inning as Vavra drilled a Silverstri pitch over the fence in left center for his team-leading fifth homer of the season.

The Sailfish pulled within 7-4 in the bottom of the fourth inning on a lead-off homer by Drew. The home run was the third of the series for Drew.

FSC used three hits to score two runs in the fifth inning to push in front 9-4 off of PBA reliever Robbie Pettet. In the inning, the first run came home on an RBI triple to right center by senior leftfielder J.J. Downum (Land O'Lakes, Fla.) and added its second run on an infield RBI single by junior shortstop Casey Eddinger (Crawfordville, Fla.).

The Mocs lead grew to 10-4 in the sixth inning on an RBI double by Brugnoni, which plated Vavra, who had reached on a one-out single to right.

PBA would make things interesting in the seventh inning off of senior reliever Nate Carter (Boca Raton, Fla.). After Carter retired the first batter he faced on a fly out, he would walk the next three batters in order to load the bases. Carter would then force Brian Walker to fly out for the second out, before Chris Farrell delivered a bases clearing double to drop FSC's lead to 10-7. That would be as close as PBA would get, though, as Carter ended the game by forcing Buchko to ground out to Dennis at third base.

Richardson earned the win as improved to 5-3 on the season as he pitched six innings and allowed five hits and four runs (three earned), while walking one and fanning one.

Silvestri (3-3) took the loss for the Sailfish as he pitched 3.2 innings and allowed nine hits and seven runs, while walking two and striking out three.

PBA finished with six hits in the nightcap as Drew recorded two of those six hits. 

The Mocs will return to action on Tuesday, March 25 as they host Saint Leo in a 6 p.m. non-conference game at historic Henley Field, before traveling to Tampa for an important three-game Sunshine State Conference series next weekend at top-ranked Tampa.