LAKELAND, Fla. — Florida Southern College baseball (10-11) had an impressive day at Henley Field, first dominating Northwood University (3-10) with a 13-1 victory in the first game of a doubleheader, followed by a thrilling 6-5 win in a dramatic 13-inning battle in the second game. 

In the first game, the Moccasins established their dominance early with a five-run first inning. The action started when Ryan Jenkins drew a walk, followed by a single from Mikey Scott. Eric Harrison Jr. walked to load the bases, and Carson Brady's single brought Jenkins home. Gavin Smith then added another run with a sacrifice fly, and a throwing error allowed Harrison Jr. to score. Singles from Brock Budacki and Eli Thurmond brought in more runs, giving the Mocs a 5-0 lead right out of the gate.

The fourth inning saw Jenkins double, and Scott walked. Harrison Jr. followed with a double down the right field line, bringing in both Jenkins and Scott to extend Florida Southern's lead to 7-0. Northwood managed to get on the board in the fifth inning when Josh Getz doubled and scored on Brennan Hallman's groundout. However, the Mocs answered back with Smith walking, advancing on a wild pitch, and scoring on Cory Filley's single, with Amir Streeter's single to right field plating Filley, pushing the lead to 9-1 by the end of the fifth.

The sixth inning saw Florida Southern pile on more runs, with Scott tripling and Harrison Jr. singling him home. Pinch hitter Ethan Burkhardt then powered a two-run homer as his first collegiate hit. Brady Doorey walked and later scored on an error, rounding out a four-run inning to cap the game at 13-1. Harrison Jr. had a standout day with two hits and three RBIs. Scott scored three times and added two hits, including a triple. Burkhardt contributed with a home run and two RBIs. Sachem Ramos pitched six innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out five, while Rhett Raymer provided effective relief.

In the second game, the game began scoreless until Northwood took an early lead in the second when Ben DeVries scored on a Moccasins' throwing error. Florida Southern quickly answered back as Brady launched a homer to right field, leveling the score at 1-1. The Mocs took the lead in the third when Eli Thurmond singled, and Amir Streeter followed with a double, setting up Jenkins to bring Thurmond home with an RBI single. Florida Southern extended their lead in the fourth and sixth innings, but Northwood made a dramatic comeback in the ninth with Caden Duryea's three-run homer tying the game at 5-5.

After three tense, scoreless extra innings, the Moccasins clinched the win in the 13th. Scott singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Burkhardt then delivered the game-winning RBI single, bringing Scott home for the 6-5 victory. Jenkins again was a key contributor with two hits and two RBIs, while Brady and Thurmond also made significant impacts. On the mound, Ty Bradle pitched 5 1/3 innings of stellar baseball, allowing no earned runs, striking out eight, with Heath Clevenger adding 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Evan Mobley, Casey O'Dell, and John Essig also had time on the mound in the lengthy second game, with the win being credited to Robert Tracy III with a hitless 2.1 innings pitched. 

The Moccasins are set to face off against the Timberwolves again at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, at Henley Field in Lakeland, Florida. Read Full Article