LAKELAND, Fla. — Florida Southern College baseball (24-18, 13-10 SSC) faced Lynn University (21-21, 11-13 SSC) in a doubleheader on Saturday at Henley Field, resulting in a tough 10–1 loss in the first game followed by a decisive 9–3 victory in the second to win the series. Game one of the day was delayed due to weather before FSC's strong series finale.
In Game 1, the Moccasins struggled to keep pace with the Fighting Knights, who jumped to an early lead in the first inning, capitalizing on errors to score four runs. Joel Tapia-Melo doubled for two RBIs, and a throwing error allowed another run to cross the plate. Florida Southern responded with a double from
Ryan Jenkins but could not score, ending the inning at 4–0 in favor of Lynn. The Knights added another run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Jason Lashley, extending their advantage to 5–0. Florida Southern managed to hold Lynn scoreless in the third, with
Ethan Burkhardt reaching base but left stranded.
The Moccasins finally got on the board in the fourth inning when
Eric Harrison Jr. scored after reaching base on a single, but Lynn's offense answered back, keeping the score at 6–1. The game remained quiet until the seventh inning, where Lynn extended its lead with an RBI single by Jackson Tyer, followed by an RBI single from Tapia-Melo in the eighth. The Knights sealed their victory with a two-run homer by Justin Lopez in the ninth, concluding the game at 10–1. Jenkins contributed with a double and a walk, while Harrison scored one run. On the mound,
Ty Bradle pitched five innings, as
Jayce Rollins relieved him, striking out 3 batters in 3 innings.
In Game 2, Florida Southern flipped the script and secured a 9–3 victory, improving their record to 24-18 overall. The Mocs and the Fighting Knights each scored in the first inning, with Jenkins tying the game at 1-1 after scoring on a throwing error. Florida Southern took control in the third inning with a four-run surge, featuring key plays from
Eli Thurmond, Mikey Scott, and
Brock Budacki, leading to a 5-1 advantage.
Lynn managed to score in the fifth inning, but Florida Southern responded with two runs, extending their lead to 7-2 after five innings. Jenkins doubled in the sixth, scoring on a balk, and the Mocs added another unearned run in the seventh to lead 9-2. Lynn scored once more in the eighth, but Florida Southern maintained their 9-3 lead. Jenkins had an impressive game, scoring three runs and contributing two hits, while
Tanner Rollyson pitched 4 2/3 innings, striking out six batters and allowing only one earned run.
Casey O'Dell provided strong relief for the win, with productive outings by
John Essig and
Aiden Kelley.
In their next game, Florida Southern will host Nova Southeastern University at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 30 at Henley Field in Lakeland, Florida.
