Box Score LAKELAND - Florida Southern saw its four-game win streak snapped here Tuesday evening as 29th-ranked Florida Tech posted an 11-0 victory over the Moccasins in a non-conference game at historic Henley Field.
With the setback, the Moccasins fall to 7-6 overall and 1-4 at home on the season, while Florida Tech improves to 13-0.
It was the first time the Mocs were shutout in a game since Florida Tech team earned a 1-0 win over the Mocs last season on April 12, 2014. In that game, the Mocs were held to four hits as Tech scored its only run in the top of the ninth inning on a wild pitch.
In Tuesday's game, the Mocs couldn't recover from three errors that led to four unearned runs in the second inning against junior hurler Ben Richardson (Orlando, Fla.), who was making his fourth start of the season.
On the night, Tech recorded 15 hits and scored 11 runs against four Moccasin pitchers, while the Moccasin offense, that came into the game averaging 13 hits and 10.9 runs scored per game, was limited to five singles in the nine inning game.
Richardson, who fell to 1-2 on the season with the loss, pitched five innings and allowed seven hits and six runs, but just two earned runs and recorded five strikeouts. In 22.1 innings this season, Richardson has allowed 33 hits, 24 runs, 17 earned runs, recorded 16 strikeouts and walked just six. On the night, he lowered his season ERA by nearly a run as he went from 7.79 to 6.85.
The second inning was the difference in the game as after Richardson struck out Ricky Rodriguez to lead off the inning and got Daniel Szpik to ground out for the second out, the Panthers would take advantage of three straight errors by the Mocs to score the game's first two runs and then added two more runs later in the frame on a single through the right side by David Wilson. All of those runs came with two outs in the inning.
Tech would push its lead to 5-0 in the third inning on a run scoring double by Szpik.
The Mocs put runners on second and third in the bottom of the third thanks to singles by senior second baseman Trevor Freeman (Shalimar, Fla.) and senior leftfielder Kyle Richards (Groton, Conn.), but couldn't score as Panther starter Ty Cohen forced senior third baseman Chris Dennis (Rockledge, Fla.) to ground out to end the inning.
Tech's lead grew to 6-0 in the fifth and was 8-0 in the sixth following a solo homer by Wilson off of senior reliever Austin Barnett (Lakeland, Fla.) and an RBI single to left center by Grant McKown.
The Panthers would take advantage of a hit batsman, two walks, two wild pitches from junior reliever Jake Popovich (Danville, Calif.) to score three runs in the eighth inning to push its lead to 11-0. Two of three runs came home on sacrifice flies, while the other run scored when Neal struck out swinging, but he reached first when the ball got away from senior catcher Joey Miller (Sarasota, Fla.) that allowed Kevin Capella to score from third.
Cohen (2-0) earned the win for the Panthers on the mound as he threw seven innings and scattered four hits, while walking one and striking out six. Cohen came into the game with a 7.00 ERA, but lowered his ERA to 3.94 on the year with his performance on Tuesday.
The Mocs put its leadoff hitter, Dennis, on in the ninth thanks to a single, but they wouldn't be able to find the plate as Panthers reliever Brett Porter retired the next three Moccasin hitters in order to seal the Panthers shutout win.
Freeman had two of the Mocs five hits on the night, while Richards, Dennis and junior rightfielder Jhalan Jackson (Winter Haven, Fla.) each had a hit in the game.
Tech's offense was paced by three hits apiece from Reid Neal and Tyler Doughty, while McKown and Kevin Wortman each had two hits in the win.
The Mocs will look to start a new win streak this coming weekend as they host Palm Beach Atlantic for a three-game series at Henley Field. The series will begin with a single game on Friday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. and will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 28 beginning at 1 p.m.
