ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Florida Southern College baseball team outlasted the Eckerd Tritons on the road with a score of 9-7 in a 15-inning battle Wednesday Night.
The Mocs (2-4) scored early, but quickly had a three-run deficit at the midpoint of the game. The Tritons (4-2) gave up the 5-2 lead as the Mocs scored four in the sixth, but rebounded to make it a tie game in the bottom of the ninth. Scoreless in extra innings,
Jeff Liquori hit his second home run of the night in the top of the 15th as the Mocs outlast the Tritons 9-7 in 15 innings.
The Mocs scored first after
Nathan Chevalier got on base with a single through the left side. Despite two outs,
Seth Cannady singled as the Mocs had two on. Florida Southern had back-to-back singles by
Connor Berry and
Ryan Jenkins to send Cannady and Chevalier home for the 2-0 lead. The Tritons responded with three runs in the bottom of the first for a productive start for both teams and combined five runs.
Scoreless for the next two innings, Eckerd added two more runs after a 2-RBI single by Donofrio. To start the sixth inning, the Mocs were in another two-out scenario that they capitalized.
Joe Raffaele hit a strong liner down third base line for a double that
Grady Maguire responded with a single for Raffaele to score. On the first pitch Liquori nailed a two-run homer to right center and tie game. A chopper to first sent Chevalier to first where he was able to show off his speed to steal second and make his way home on a wild pitch and 6-5 lead.
Florida Southern continued their scores with a run in the seventh as Raffaele singled in as
Jared DeSantolo advanced to third after initially on base from a walk. A wild pitch by the Tritons brought DeSantolo home and 7-5 Moccasin lead in the bottom of the seventh. With bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning,
Ryan Langford earned a run-saving strikeout and Mocs escape with the lead into the last inning.
Eckerd tied the game 7-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning with no outs left as the Mocs battled to prevent more runs. Langford tallied two strikeouts and a putout as the Tritons had one on first and second and Moccasins escape to extra innings. Liquori reached first on a walk, but the Mocs unable to score in the top of the 10th. Eckerd hit a double to start as Langford again followed up with two straight strikeouts and a putout to sent the game into the 11th.
Despite reaching third, Berry was tagged at home preventing the Mocs lead. Tallying his seventh strikeout of the game, Langford and the Mocs halted any runs by the Tritons to keep a tie game into the 12th. Still a tie through 14 innings, Liquori smashed his second home run of the night with a 2-RBI hit and 9-7 lead. The Mocs hold on and take the road win to end 15 innings.
Brant Brown got the start for Florida Southern, as
David Butz, Logan Verrino, Dawson Lane, Collin Camarigg, and Langford came in to relieve. Despite three errors resulting in the early runs for the Tritons, the Mocs capitalized on two-out situations hitting .435 and five two-out RBIs when in the hole. The Mocs out-hit the Tritions 17-to-13 throughout the game.
UP NEXT
The Mocs will have their home opener in a series against Saint Leo University beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. at Henley Field.
