WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Strong opening innings set the tone for the Florida Southern College baseball team to beat Palm Beach Atlantic University by an 8-7 score on Friday night at J.M. "Jake" Rubin Park.
The Mocs (10-20, 4-9 SSC) climbed to an 8-0 lead by the sixth and fended off a late rally by PBA to return to the win column. The Sailfish (11-19, 7-9 SSC) staged a late rally to get within one run but were stifled by FSC in the final two innings for FSC to win the series opener. The win marks 11 straight over PBA in head-to-head matchups.
Florida Southern climbed to an early lead after a four-run first inning led by three hits and an error.
Bryce Safferwich was first on base with a single, followed by a single from
Jack Duffy for two on base. With two outs, two walks and a stolen base loaded the bases for a three RBI double by
Grady Maguire. A wild pitch sent Maguire to third as
D'Ante Starks reached on an error and fourth run by the Mocs.
After a scoreless second inning, the Mocs went up 5-0 after a Starks double sent
Rohsean Riley home in the third. Neither team added runs until the sixth before FSC had a sacrifice fly by
Josh Hines to score Starks. Another two runs were added by FSC in the top of the seventh as a single by R. Riley and a subsequent error scored Duffy. The final run came from a single by Starks to send R. Riley home for an 8-0 lead in the seventh.
On the defensive side, FSC was led by starter
Casey O'Dell with six scoreless innings of work and six hits (just two hits through the first five innings). The Mocs turned two double plays, five flyouts, and eight groundouts as a defense group to hold off any PBA runs until the seventh. The Sailfish finished the seventh with seven runs off four hits in a busy outing for the team.
Justin Stewart and
Lake Fisher relieved O'Dell in the seventh, but the Sailfish capitalized off RBI singles and walks in long, bases-loaded at-bats to narrow the deficit to an 8-7 FSC lead.
The Mocs were hitless over the next two innings, each by three quick outs, though PBA left on one in the eighth after another pitching change sent
Evan Mobley to save the game. Mobley finished with three strikeouts, including two in the bottom of the ninth to leave a single hit on base and end PBA's hopes for a rally.
Florida Southern was nearly even in hits with Palm Beach Atlantic, eight-to-nine, as R. Riley and Starks led the team with two hits each. Collins extended his hit streak to nine games with a solo hit in the sixth. O'Dell finished with three strikeouts and allowed five runs, all in the high-scoring seventh, but walked away with his second win of the season. Mobley was credited with his third save of the year as PBA's Foster was handed the loss. FSC's win snapped a seven-game losing streak in a difficult stretch of the schedule.
The Mocs will wrap up their series against Palm Beach Atlantic with a doubleheader tomorrow, April 6, set for a 12 p.m. start at J.M. "Jake" Rubin Park.
