BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Southern College baseball team defeated Lynn University on the road, 8-5, in game two of its conference series Friday afternoon at the Lynn Baseball and Softball Complex.
The Mocs (23-10, 9-5 SSC) were led by
Connor Berry with two home runs in the victory, the second time he sent two deep in a single game this season. The Fighting Knights (14-18-1, 5-12 SSC) could not complete a late comeback after Mocs put up five runs in the third inning in an 8-5 loss to the Mocs. Berry and
Drew Cavanaugh each batted in three runs, and
Ahmad Fitts and
Ryan Magdic tallied one RBI each.
Aric McAtee was the winning pitcher.
The contest had no runs scored by either team until the Mocs broke away in the third. Led by a single by Magdic, a string of Mocs batters ended up on base.
D'Ante Starks gained a base on balls, then scored on a two-RBI double by Cavanaugh which also drove in Magdic.
Berry was next up at bat and homered to drive in Cavanaugh, increasing the Mocs' lead to 4-0. Immediately after,
Mitch Donofrio walked and advanced into scoring position as
Rohsean Riley walked. An RBI hit for Fitts brought Donofrio home for the fifth run in the inning. At the end of the inning, R. Riley was left on base.
The fourth inning began with a double from Starks, who scored when Cavanaugh singled. Despite having Cavanaugh and Berry, who also singled, on base, Florida Southern did not score again in the fourth.
In the fifth,
Jevin Relaford reached first base on an error, advanced to second, and stole third. He scored on a fielder's choice in which Magdic was tagged out at first base for a 7-0 Moccasin lead. The bottom of the fifth saw Lynn score their first two runs of the game. The Fighting Knights added one more run to their total in the sixth and two in the seventh, prompting a pitching change by the Mocs.
Andrew Williamson relieved McAtee, walking two batters, striking out one, and giving up one hit and two runs in one inning.
Kerry Wright pitched the eighth inning, striking out two batters and walking one, allowing no runs.
Berry sprung into action once again in the ninth, racking up his second homer of the game during the first at-bat of the inning for an 8-5 FSC lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Mocs had another pitching change, this time calling on
Collin Camarigg to shut down the game. Camarigg successfully kept the Fighting Knights from scoring, finalizing the score of 8-5.
Berry led the Mocs in hits, going three for five at the plate and tallying two home runs. McAtee was credited with the win with four hits and three runs in six innings while striking out nine. Camarigg earned the save, his fifth of the season. Berry's homers tallied the 26th straight game with at least one homer for the Mocs.
The series stands 1-1 and will conclude tomorrow, April 8, with a 1 p.m. start at the Lynn Baseball and Softball Complex.
