LAKELAND, Fla. — No. 10 Florida Southern College baseball (2-5) faced off against No. 16 Young Harris College (5-2) on Saturday at Henley Field, suffering losses in both games of a doubleheader, losing 9-3 in the first game and 13-11 in the second.
Game 1 Overview
The first game ended with a 9-3 defeat for the Mocs. It began with both teams scoring two runs in the first inning.
Mikey Scott reached second on an error, setting up
Ryan Jenkins and
Gavin Smith to deliver hits.
Cory Filley then drove in Jenkins and Smith with a single up the middle, tying it at 2-2.
Young Harris pulled ahead with two runs in the second inning, capitalizing on a fielding error and a double by Smallwood to take a 4-2 lead. The Mocs couldn't answer back in the bottom half. In the fourth inning, Young Harris added to their lead with a sacrifice fly, making it 5-2. Florida Southern was held scoreless in their half, leaving the Mountain Lions on top.
The fifth inning saw Young Harris extend their lead further as Morgan scored on a double play, putting Florida Southern down 6-2. A solo home run by Contreras in the seventh pushed Young Harris to 7-2. The Mocs struggled to find their rhythm, remaining scoreless.
In the eighth, a two-run homer by Bray increased Young Harris' lead to 9-2. Florida Southern couldn't find a reply in the bottom of the inning. The ninth inning brought a spark for Florida Southern as
BJ Rivera hit a solo shot to left-center, giving the home team a late highlight. Despite the effort, the game wrapped up with a 9-3 win for Young Harris.
Rivera finished with a home run, a run scored, and an RBI. Filley contributed two RBIs with a hit, while Smith added a double, scored a run, and had an RBI. Jenkins had one hit in his three at-bats and scored once.
Christian Carew started on the mound, pitching 1 1/3 innings and allowing four runs on five hits, with two walks and a strikeout.
Aidan Kelley provided solid relief, striking out four over 2 2/3 innings, conceding two runs on one hit and a walk.
Heath Clevenger held the line with 1 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and a walk but no runs.
John Essig gave up a home run and an earned run over 1 1/3 innings.
Robert Tracy III faced four batters in 2/3 of an inning, allowing a two-run homer.
Tanner Rollyson closed with 1 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out four without a hit.
Game 2 Overview
In the second game, Florida Southern fought hard but ultimately fell 13-11. The Mocs came out strong in the first inning. After Jenkins drew a walk, Smith launched a two-run homer to right field, bringing Jenkins home. Filley scored on a single by
Eric Harrison Jr., and an error allowed Rivera to cross the plate, giving Florida Southern an early 4-1 lead.
Young Harris managed a run in the second inning, but the Moccasins quickly responded. Jenkins reached base again and scored on a sacrifice fly by Smith, extending the lead to 5-2 by the end of the second. The game took a turn in the third inning when the Mountain Lions unleashed a 10-run barrage, featuring a grand slam by S. Ward and a two-run homer by J. Hernandez. The Moccasins couldn't answer back in the bottom of the inning, finding themselves trailing 12-5.
In the fourth, the Mocs chipped away at the deficit with an RBI single from Jenkins, scoring
Eli Thurmond after his double. Young Harris added another run in the fifth, but Florida Southern answered in the sixth with Scott scoring on an RBI single from Filley, adjusting the score to 13-7.
Thurmond stepped up in the seventh inning with a two-run homer, driving in
Brady Doorey, trimming Young Harris's lead to 13-9. The Mocs kept fighting in the eighth when Smith tripled to bring in Scott and then scored on a wild pitch, narrowing the gap to 13-11. Despite a strong defensive stand in the closing innings, Florida Southern couldn't overcome the deficit.
Smith led the Mocs with four RBIs, collecting three hits, including a home run and a triple. Thurmond added two runs and two RBIs with his double and home run. Jenkins contributed with two runs, two hits, and an RBI. Scott reached base three times with a hit, a walk, and a hit by pitch, scoring twice.
Evan Parmer started for Florida Southern, pitching two innings in a tough matchup.
Jayce Rollins took over in relief, followed by
Elliot Joslin, who steadied the ship with 4 2/3 innings of work, yielding just 3 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 4.
Ethan Breslin closed the game with 2 scoreless innings, allowing a single hit and striking out 3.
Florida Southern looks to rebound as they prepare for another matchup against Eckerd College on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Turley Athletic Complex.
