PENSACOLA, Fla. – After a postponed game one yesterday, the Florida Southern College baseball team split a doubleheader against No.10 West Florida at Jim Spooner Field Saturday afternoon.
Florida Southern (1-1), registered votes in the preseason National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, won the first game 6-1, but West Florida (1-1) rallied late in the sixth to give them a 5-3 win over the Mocs in a seven inning game two.
Jared DeSantolo led the Mocs with two home runs over the double header, hitting four-for-five with two walk, and finished with four RBIs for the day.
Jeff Liquori had a 3-run homer in the first game against the Argos. Mocs
Nathan Madej earned the win in game one, with West Florida's Jacob Estes for the win in game two.
GAME 1: FLORIDA SOUTHERN 6, WEST FLORIDA 1
Both teams started the game trading outs and scoreless through four innings.
Seth Cannady was hit by a pitch in the fifth, which
Connor Berry followed up with a single to left field. With two outs left in the fifth, DeSantolo smashed a home run to bring Berry and Cannady in for a quick 3-0 lead. The Mocs increased their lead to six after a late 3-run home run by Liquori in the eighth inning. This was the second 3-run home run of the afternoon by the Mocs.
Madej pitched six innings with only one hit, while striking out six of the 22 batters.
Mitchell LeRoy and
Ryan Langford each pitched an inning, as
David Butz closed for the Mocs. The Argos were able to score off a double by Cullan O'Shea in the ninth, but the Mocs held on for the 6-1 win.
West Florida left 11 players on base, as both teams notched five hits. Liquori finished with three RBIs alongside DeSantolo's three.
GAME 2: WEST FLORIDA 5, FLORIDA SOUTHERN 3
West Florida started with an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Mocs escaped a bigger deficit as
Aric McAtee stuck out two in a row to leave three Argos on base. The Mocs answered in the third with a double to left field by DeSantolo to set up transfer
Julio Cortez with a double of his own and bring DeSantolo home to even the score.
Florida Southern got their first lead of the game after a single by Cortez to bring
Tor Sehnert home and a 2-1 Moccasin lead in the top of the fourth. DeSantolo extended the lead with a solo homer in the sixth to give the Mocs a 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the sixth West Florida hit a deep single to score a baserunner and followed up with a 3-run homer and a 5-3 lead heading into the final seventh inning. The Mocs put two on base, but unable to convert as the Argos held on for the 5-3 win.
The Mocs and Argos were even with eight hits in the game, with the Mocs in a slight advantage in strikeouts, six to five. West Florida left eight on base compared to the nine by Florida Southern. McAtee pitched just under five innings as
Collin Camarigg relieved him late in the sixth. Salvatore Ferro pitched four innings for the Argos, as Estes relieved him for the final three and the recorded win.
UP NEXT
The Mocs have their last game of the series against West Florida tomorrow, set for a 1 PM start at Jim Spooner Field.
