LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College baseball team fell to a score of 13-7 in game one of their conference series against Eckerd College Friday evening at Henley Field.
The Mocs (13-11, 4-3 SSC) were down early and unable to rally late as Eckerd packed on the runs. The Tritons (10-12, 4-3 SSC) had 22 hits, the most hits allowed by an opponent this season, on the day as they climbed to an early 5-0 lead in the fifth and held on for the 13-7 win.
A scoreless first inning for both teams as they worked to get hits. The Tritons found their mark as they scored first with three runs in the top of the second. After an initial RBI by Young, Ballard followed-up with a two-run homer and 3-0 lead into the bottom of the second. The Mocs were unable to answer in the bottom of the second as they went to
Brant Brown to take over the mound in the top of the third.
Unable to score in the third, Eckerd scored another two runs in the top of the fourth off an RBI single by Ballard and RBI double by Andriole. The Mocs were able to respond with an RBI single by
Jared DeSantolo for
Jeff Liquori to score, as
Seth Cannady reached on a fielder's choice and added an RBI for
Nathan Chevalier to score and narrow the deficit to three after four innings.
Eckerd notched a total of four runs off six hits in the top of the sixth to extend their lead to seven as the Mocs worked to tally hits. A productive bottom of the sixth for the Mocs as they scored two runs with RBI fielder's choice for
Connor Berry and an RBI by DeSantolo for a 9-4 score through six.
Florida Southern managed two hits in the seventh but left two on as they were unable to score. The Tritons added an insurance run in the top of the eighth and added another three runs in the third. Chevalier added a big two RBI triple in the bottom of the ninth and one more run, but not enough as Tritons hold on. In his first pitching appearance of the season, Liquori pitched two innings, with
Christian Suarez and
Reed Burke adding to the mound for the Mocs. The win went to Eckerd's Jacob Stipp, his third of the season.
UP NEXT
The Mocs will continue their series against the Tritons with a doubleheader tomorrow, beginning at 1 p.m. at Historic Henley Field.
