PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Florida Southern College baseball team ended its opening series with a doubleheader loss against No. 11 University of West Florida at Jim Spooner Field Saturday afternoon. The Moccasins lost the first doubleheader game 14-10 and a series finale 2-0 loss. Due to incoming weather, the previously scheduled three-day series was moved to a doubleheader on Saturday with no games on Sunday.
The Mocs (1-2) had a monster seven-run first inning to start game one of the day but would relinquish the lead and eventually, a disappointing walk-off grand slam to lose 14-10. The Argonauts (2-1) only needed two runs in the first inning of game two to win the series as both teams had four hitless innings to end the series.
West Florida 14, Florida Southern 10
A high-scoring game ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Moccasins as a walk-off grand slam in the ninth propelled the Argos to a 14-10 win. Both teams had massive innings during game one of the doubleheader as FSC scored seven in the first, only to give up eight in the third for a tie game in the final three innings. The Mocs smashed two homers in the first behind
Jaiden Warde and
El'Rico Riley and battled back again in the sixth inning with three runs to tie the game at 10-all. Brett Rowell entered in the ninth to pinch hit for the Argos with two outs left and capitalized with the walk-off grand slam to win.
FSC opened the first inning with a fast 7-0 lead as FSC capitalized on errors by the UWF defense.
Jevin Relaford was the first Moccasin to score in the first with a UWF miscue and set up
Nick Collins to hit an RBI single right after. With two on, Warde hit a home run for a 5-0 lead with no outs. A few more hits in the first allowed Riley to set up a home run and bring catcher
Josh Hines home for the 7-0 lead.
Mistakes at the mound in the bottom of the first allowed a solo run by the Argos, but FSC kept a six-run advantage into the third. However, the lead was short-lived as UWF had a run of its own with eight runs scored off three hits, six walks, and a hit by pitch in the bottom third. The Argos then added another run in the fourth for a 10-7 lead that held until the sixth.
Behind two hits by Riley and
Jack Duffy, Relaford scored with Riley and
D'Ante Starks to tie the game at 10. Both teams then traded hits into the ninth before a bases-loaded situation landed FSC with an Argonauts grand slam to walk off the game in the ninth.
Casey O'Dell was given the loss with Jacob Heath the UWF game-winner.
Bryce Safferwich led the Mocs with three hits in an even line on hits but not enough runs with a 1-1 series into the final game.
West Florida 2, Florida Southern 0
In a scheduled seven innings for the series finale, West Florida only needed two runs in the first inning to set the way for a game three win and series victory over the Mocs. Only seven hits combined in a change of pace from the previous two games, FSC finished with three hits to UWF's four with both teams leaving a few on base throughout the game.
Relaford opened game three with a strong double, before being stranded on third in a disappointing first inning. Rowell, the hero of game two for the Argos, hit a 2 RBI single in the bottom of the first for the 2-0 lead and what would be the final of the game in a pitching duel for the final six innings.
Back-to-back singles by Safferwich and Warde in the second provided some optimism but three straight outs left them on base. A final hit by UWF in the bottom of the second served as the final hit of the game with
Jordan Fox at the mound for four innings and
Lake Fisher the final two innings in relief. Fox was given the loss on one earned run in a tough first inning despite finishing with six strikeouts in the game. Kade Manderscheid of UWF finished with four strikeouts and a win for another series win over FSC, the third straight of a weekend series.
The Mocs will return to Lakeland for the 2024 home opener on Wednesday, Feb. 7, against No. 8 Colorado Mesa University set for a 6 p.m. start at Henley Field.
