LAKELAND, Fla. – Florida Southern College (13-4, 3-0 SSC) defeated Kentucky Wesleyan College (4-8, 0-0 GMAC) in dominant fashion, 12-2, at Historic Henley Field Tuesday night.
The win extended the Mocs winning streak to 11 games, the best since an 11-game stretch in 2018. Catcher
Drew Cavanaugh led the Mocs in runs, with three in four at-bats. Every fielder in the Mocs' starting lineup scored at least one run throughout the course of the game.
The contest began in a pitching duel, with neither team scoring until the fourth. Kentucky Wesleyan took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth and the Mocs answered, staging a nine-run inning, the most in a single inning this season.
Cavanaugh and
Bryce Safferwich both gained bases after being hit by pitches, then each gained another base on a wild pitch, putting them both in scoring position.
Mitch Donofrio gained a base on balls, loading the bases for the Mocs. A single to right field by
Rohsean Riley enabled Cavanaugh and Safferwich to score. Donofrio also advanced to third on the play.
Next at bat,
Jevin Relaford singled and advanced to second on a throw; Donofrio scored, prompting a pitching change by Kentucky Wesleyan. Directly after,
Jeff Liquori drove in
D'Ante Starks with a single up the middle, leaving Relaford on third. Relaford's opportunity to score came when
El'Rico Riley reached first on a throwing error by Kentucky Wesleyan's third baseman. Cavanaugh kept the same energy during his at-bat, producing a base hit that drove in Liquori.
Cavanaugh and E. Riley entered scoring position on a wild pitch. They were both driven in by Safferwich, who hit a single through the right side.
Justin Wit relieved
Lake Fisher in the fifth, striking out four batters in two innings and allowing two hits and no runs.
The Mocs would see no more scoring action until the bottom of the seventh when R. Riley hit a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Berry to score on the throw.
Jake Curry,
Evan Mobley, and
Mitchell LeRoy each pitched one inning, none of them allowing any runs.
In the bottom of the eighth, Cavanaugh homered to left center field, also driving in a run for E. Riley.
Fisher was the winning pitcher, bringing him to 2-0 for the Mocs this year. Fisher allowed only three hits and two runs in four innings pitched.
The game ended with a final score of 12-2 and a two-game series sweep of the Panthers. Next, the Mocs will host Seton Hill University at Historic Henley Field on Friday, March 10. The contest is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
