Box Score LAKELAND, Fla. – Florida Southern College baseball started strong but fell 8-6 in its first-ever matchup against Northwood University on Friday afternoon at Rodda Stadium at Henley Field. The No. 28 Moccasins (11-8) continued to succeed at the long ball, but could not stop a late surge from the Timberwolves (4-6).
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Two walks to Dylan Costa and Ricky Gonzalez set up the Mocs with runners on base to start the bottom of the first inning. Jacob Teter flew out to right to advance the runners and Zach Scott did the same in a sacrifice fly to score Costa. Alan Burnsed smacked his seventh dinger of the year to left-center field to make the game 3-0 Mocs.
- Jarrod Cande had his way with the Timberwolves batters early, striking out four-straight from the second inning into the third. However, two walks put runners on for Cole Brooks, who launched his second long ball of the year to tie the game at three.
- FSC responded in the bottom of the inning, with Gonzalez doubling and coming home on back-to-back flyouts from Teter and Scott to give Southern a one-run lead.
- A walk and back-to-back sac bunts in the fourth put a Northwood runner on third, but fantastic plays from Scott at third kept the lead at one.
- Tor Sehnert hit his third home run of the year in the bottom of the fourth inning to give his side a 5-3 lead.
- Back-to-back singles from Teter and Scott gave the Mocs an opportunity in the bottom of the fifth, but a strikeout and a pop-out got the away side out of a jam.
- Northwood got back on the scoreboard in the seventh inning. With two out and runners on first and second, Brooks notched a double that tied the game. An error at short brought in another and Khale Showers homered to left to bring the game to 8-5 in favor of NU.
- The Moccasins got one closer with Zach Diewert hitting an RBI single up the middle that scored Burnsed. Three-straight fly outs left runners on the corners and got the Timberwolves out of the inning.
- NU would hold on to earn the victory. Jacob Carroll earned the win, with Peter Joseph tallying his second save of the year. Ryan Langford took his second loss of the year, despite just one earned run in three innings.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Cande and Langford struck out a combined 10 Timberwolves.
- Zach Scott is now first in the conference and tied-sixth in the nation with four sacrifice flies. The Moccasins lead the conference and are tied-seventh nationally with 13 sacrifice flies.
- The Moccasins lead the nation with 34 home runs this season. Burnsed leads the conference and is tied-seventh nationally with seven long balls.
- FSC is currently averaging 1.79 home runs per game and is on pace to hit 87 long balls this season. That number would break the previous record of 81 set in 2017.
- Burnsed and Teter both have an OPS above 1.000, with Burnsed at 1.301 and Teter at 1.068.
- Teter continues to lead the conference and is tied fourth in the nation with 20 walks earned.
UP NEXT:
Florida Southern will continue the series against Northwood at 11 a.m. on Saturday, with the finale set for 2 p.m. on Sunday.
