Mocs Open Final Home Series of Season With 6-3 Win Over Saint Leo

LAKELAND - Florida Southern opened its final home Sunshine State Conference series of its 2014 season here Friday evening as the 20th-ranked Moccasins collected 10 hits and used 10 strikeouts in seven innings on the mound from senior Clay Chapman to post a 6-3 win over Saint Leo at historic Henley Field.

With the victory, the Mocs improve to 30-14 overall and take over sole possession of third place in the SSC standings with a 12-7 mark, while SLU fell to 30-14 overall and 11-8 in the league. 

This weekend's series is a battle against two teams looking to remain in the hunt to earn a postseason berth as the Mocs enter the weekend sitting fifth in this week's initial NCAA Division II South Regional rankings, while SLU was ranked seventh. Only six teams will earn a spot in the South Regional Tournament in mid May with three of those spots automatically going to the teams that win the postseason tournaments in the Gulf South Conference and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the team that wins the SSC regular season title.

In Friday's game, the Mocs 10 hit attack was paced by a 3-for-4 night at the plate from redshirt sophomore rightfielder Dominic Brugnoni (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) and two hits and two RBIs from senior first baseman Trey Vavra (Menomonie, Wis.). The two RBIs raised his SSC and team-leading total to 47 on the season.

Along with a 10 hit offensive attack, the Mocs received another stellar starting pitching performance from Chapman as the 6-foot right-hander from Orlando scattered six hits in his seven innings of work and allowed two unearned runs thanks to two Moccasin errors and recorded 10 strikeouts and didn't walk a hitting in his 107-pitch outing to improve to 6-4 on the season.

The Mocs were held without a hit until junior leftfielder Trevor Freeman (Shalimar, Fla.) reached on a one-out single through the left side off of SLU starter Michael Dunnigan in the third inning. Dunnigan had retired the first seven Moccasin hitters in order before Freeman's single.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Mocs broke up Dunnigan's bid for a shutout as they used four hits to score three runs and take a 3-0 lead. Vavra got things started with a one-out double to left center and would score the game's first run two batters later on an RBI single up the middle by Brugnoni. Freshman designated hitter Scottie Withrow (Seminole, Fla.) would follow with a double to left that plated Brugnoni for the second run and Withrow would score when the next hitter, junior catcher Joey Miller (Sarasota, Fla.) delivered an run scoring single through the left side.

The Lions, who are now 1-2 this season against the Mocs, would get two of those runs back in the top half of the fifth inning as they took advantage of three hits, a Chapman wild pitch and error by junior shortstop Casey Eddinger (Crawfordville, Fla.) to plate two unearned runs and drop the Mocs lead to 3-2. 

FSC pushed its lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to back-to-back singles leading off the inning by junior third baseman Chris Dennis (Rockledge, Fla.) and Brugnoni, a sacrifice bunt by Withrow that advanced the runners up a base and a sacrifice fly to right off the bat of Miller.

The Mocs would add two insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh inning thanks to a walk, an error and a double steal by senior second baseman Conor Szczerba (Titusville, Fla.) and junior centerfielder Keith Curcio (Sarasota, Fla.) and a two-run single by Vavra to push out to a 6-2 lead.

SLU would try and mount a comeback in the ninth inning off of senior reliever Nick Krolczyk (Coral Springs, Fla.), but senior closer Nate Carter (Boca Raton, Fla.) would come out of the bullpen with two runners on base and the tying run at the plate and retire two straight batters to earn his seventh save of the season. 

In the inning, Krolczyk, who pitched 1.1 innings and allowed two hits and one unearned runs  and had two strikeouts, opened the frame by hitting Bobby Twitty with a pitch and Twitty would move to third after a throwing error by Krolczyk on a failed pickoff attempt. Twitty would score after reaching third on a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Jordan Taylor. The Lions would put its next two runners on base thanks to a walk and a single that chased Krolczyk from the game. Carter would come into the game and force Taylr Perez to fly out for the second out and then induce Fran Whitten to hit into a fielder's choice grounder to Szczerba at second base to end the game.

In addition to Brugnoni and Vavra combining for five hits, five other Mocs picked up a hit in the game.

Dunnigan (7-3) took the loss for the Lions as he threw 6.1 innings and allowed eight hits and six runs (five earned runs), while walking one and striking out two. Ryan Sadler pitched the final 1.2 innings for SLU and allowed two hits and recorded one strikeout.

Dylan Harris and Chris Newcomb each had two hits for the Lions, who finished the game with eight hits.

The teams will conclude the three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. Prior to Saturday's game, the Mocs will honor its 11 member senior class in a pregame ceremony. The seniors on this year's team are Carter, Chapman, Krolczyk, Szczerba, Vavra, pitcher Steven Burnham (Valrico, Fla.), shortstop Jimmy Correnti (Fort Myers, Fla.), leftfielder J.J. Downum (Land O'Lakes, Fla.), pitcher Brian Johnson (Oldsmar, Fla.), catcher Chris Kyser (Arlington, Va.) and pitcher Reid Noah (Lakeland, Fla.).