Box Score ST. AUGUSTINE - Florida Southern returned to regular season play here Wednesday evening as they recorded eight hits, but was held to just one run in its 3-1 setback to 16th-ranked Flagler in non-conference action at Drysdale Field.
With the setback, the Moccasins fell to 7-8 overall on the season and dropped its third straight game, while Flagler improved to 14-2 on the season.
In Wednesday night's game, the Mocs got an impressive performance on the mound from junior Ben Richardson (Orlando, Fla.) as the Bishop Moore High School graduate threw seven innings and allowed nine hits and one run, while walking none and striking out seven. In 29.1 innings of work this season, Richardson, who fell to 1-3 with the loss, has recorded 23 strikeouts and walked just six opposing batters.
The Saints had a chance to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third ininng as they put runners on second and third with two out, before Richardson preserved the shutout as he forced Andrew Brodbeck to ground out to end the inning.
FSC would have a scoring chance of their own in the fifth inning as they used back-to-back two out singles from junior second baseman Shawn Sanders (Citra, Fla.) and senior catcher Joey Mliller (Sarasota, Fla.) and a walk issed by Mike O'Reilly to senior shortstop Casey Eddinger (Crawfordville, Fla.) to load the bases. O'Reilly, who was the third of seven Saints pitchers in the game, would end the threat as he struck out senior centerfielder Kyle Richards (Groton, Conn.)
On the night, the two teams combined for 19 hits and left a combined 17 runners on base.
With the score knotted at 0-0 going to the bottom of the seveth inning, Flagler would halt Richardson's bid for a shutout as they recorded two hits and scored the game's first run on an RBI single off the bat of Nick Oberg.
The Saints would extend its lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning thanks to two hits, a stolen base, a walk and a wild pitch to plate two runs off of Moccasin sophomore releiver Craig Savage (Apopka, Fla.). The big hit in the inning was a two-out double down the left field line by Todd Juliano.
FSC would prevent a shutout in the ninth as they recorded three hits off of Flagler reliever Michale Hanke to pull within 3-1. In the inning, junior rightfielder Jhalan Jackson (Winter Haven, Fla.) led off with a single to left center, advanced to third on another single off the bat of junior leftfielder Dominic Brugnoni and scored on an RBI single to left by Sanders. That would complete the scoring as Hanke, who was the seventh Saint pitcher of the game, would retire the final two Moccasain in order to seal Flagler's victory.
Sanders and Jackson paced the Moccasin offense wtih two hits apiece, while senior third baseman Chris Dennis (Rockledge, Fla.), junior designated hitter Blake Swann, Miller and Brugnoni each recorded a hit in the loss.
Flagler was paced by three hits from Juliano, while Oberg, Kolin McMillen and Lorenzo Butler each had a hit in the game.
Nathaniel Abel (2-0) was the winning pitcher as he pitched two innings and allowed one hit, while walking two and striking out one.
The Mocs will return home this coming Sunday, March 8 as they play host to Grand Valley State in a 4 p.m. game at historic Henley Field.
