Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Junior outfielder
Shane Bishop clobbered a two-run homer on a payoff pitch and drove in another run with a single to help power the Eckerd College baseball program to its fifth straight win, taking down Saint Anselm (N.H.) College on Wednesday night, 9-6.
The EC pitching staff allowed just three hits while sophomores
Eric Foster and
Keegan Oberer delivered key RBI's in pinch-hit situations.
The power surge continued from the diminutive 5-8 lefty-swinging Bishop after he went yard in nearly the exact same spot at the Turley Athletic Complex against Florida Christian College last Saturday.
With a runner at third, Bishop worked the count full against Saint Anselm starter Ryan Cosmopulos before driving the 3-2 offering into the frigid night air as part of a four-run second inning.
The Tritons (10-7, 0-3 SSC) continued their strong play over non-conference competition with their latest effort against the Hawks (2-7-1 overall), who faced Sunshine State Conference member Rollins College the day prior.
The Tritons staved off a bases-loaded rally attempt with no outs in the top of the ninth thanks to freshman gunslinger
Jared Habershaw, who collected his third save.
Sophomore
David Horsfield was cruising, allowing just one hit in three scoreless innings to begin the night. He had trouble finding his spots in the fourth as the Hawks scored three runs -- all on bases-loaded walks.
Horsfield was coming off a gem in his last start that included just one hit given up in eight innings against Florida Memorial University.
Saint Anselm's pitching staff had different kinds of control issues with five wild pitches and a pair of hit batsmen.
Junior
Richard Cruz-Sanchez improved to 2-0 on the mound with the win in middle relief going 3 1/3 innings. Freshman
Taylor Owens worked a scoreless eighth before giving way to Habershaw in the ninth.
The Tritons added to their early four-run cushion with a two spot in both the third and fourth frames. After an infield groundout brought one run home, Bishop lined a sharp single through the right side of the infield with two outs to score junior
Chris Hanson.
Runs also scored on Foster's RBI single and a wild pitch in the fourth.
EC overcame a three-run home run by Hawks' shortstop Robert Kelly in the seventh that made the score 8-6.
But Oberer squared up a double to the opposite field right-center gap on the first pitch he saw with two outs in the eighth to score freshman
Rowdy Andrews all the way from first.
A fielding error and double put runners on at second and third, translating to an inauspicious start to the ninth. After a walk to load them up with the go-ahead run at the plate, Habershaw buckled down and fanned three in a row, two looking and the last one going down swinging.
The Tritons will pack their bags for Lakeland this weekend, facing Florida Southern College in a three-game conference series. EC and the Mocs will play the customary nine-inning game on Friday at 6 p.m. before completing a doubleheader with a 1 p.m. start on Saturday.
