LAKELAND, Fla. — Florida Southern College baseball (25-18, 14-10 SSC) secured a decisive 5–1 victory over Nova Southeastern University (26-19, 13-12 SSC) on Thursday night at Henley Field. Florida Southern tallied 10 hits and a triple, while its pitching staff allowed only four hits and recorded seven strikeouts.
Florida Southern secured a 5–1 victory over NSU, highlighted by key performances and timely hitting. In the bottom of the second inning, Florida Southern opened the scoring.
Brock Budacki singled, then advanced on
Will Burke's single.
Eli Thurmond delivered an RBI single, bringing in Budacki.
Ryan Jenkins followed with a triple down the right field line, driving in Thurmond and
Cory Filley, giving the Mocs a 3–0 lead through two innings.
NSU responded in the top of the third with Anthony Stinson's solo home run to center field, narrowing the gap to 3–1. However, Florida Southern's defense held strong, maintaining the lead after three innings.
In the fifth inning, the Moccasins extended their advantage.
Eric Harrison Jr. walked and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and a groundout. Burke then hit a single to left-center, scoring Harrison and increasing the lead to 4–1 through five innings.
Florida Southern added an insurance run in the eighth.
Ethan Burkhardt walked and was replaced by pinch runner
TJ Eckert, who stole second base. Jenkins singled down the right field line, allowing Eckert to score, making it 5–1.
Pitching was crucial, as the Mocs' staff limited the Sharks to just one run throughout the game. The strong performance on the mound helped secure the win, Florida Southern 5, Nova Southeastern 1.
Jenkins recorded three RBIs and collected two hits, including a triple, showcasing his offensive contribution. Thurmond contributed with two hits and one RBI, along with scoring a run.
Sachem Ramos pitched seven innings, allowing one earned run and striking out four, securing the win with a 6-3 record.
Casey O'Dell contributed with one inning of relief, striking out one, while
Aidan Kelley closed with a strong inning, recording two strikeouts and throwing 11 strikes out of 14 pitches.
In their next game, Florida Southern will host the Sharks with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. ET Friday at Henley Field in Lakeland, Florida. There will be a Senior Day Ceremony beginning at 12:20 p.m. prior to game one.
