Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Meeting for the third time this season, Webber International University managed to secure a lead in the middle innings and down the Eckerd College baseball program on Wednesday night, 9-4.
Eckerd claimed a 6-4 victory in Babson Park back on Feb. 6 before Webber International earned a 5-3 decision at the Turley Athletic Complex a week ago.
Despite the Tritons (14-21 overall) being able to outhit the Warriors (29-17 overall), 10-8, WIU rode the coattails of a strong seven-inning, seven-strikeout performance by starter Cody Palmquist.
Palmquist surrendered one run on six hits before the Eckerd offense made progress later on against the Warriors' bullpen depth. He upped his record on the mound to 5-1.
Eckerd implemented nine different pitchers in an effort to slow down the Webber International offense as five hurlers, including freshman starter
Matt Mullins, finished without an earned run against their line.
Freshman
Zach Hoppe tossed a scoreless second inning, senior
Henry Langs logged 1.1 scoreless innings while junior
A.J. Witkowski and freshman
Andrew Pierson finished the game with back-to-back scoreless frames.
For the second straight game, junior
Audry Santana tied the game early with an RBI following a flared single into shallow right that knotted things up at one run apiece in the second.
WIU leadoff hitter Billy Farrell delivered a two-run double in the fourth as the Warriors moved out to a 5-1 lead.
EC freshman
Rowdy Andrews hit a pair of doubles, junior leadoff hitter
Lincoln Dunham had a pair of hits at the top of the order and junior
Mike Vavasis went 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI.
The Tritons scored three runs on four hits in the eighth inning looking to make a dent in the Warriors' lead.
The eighth inning could have potentially been much more for Eckerd as
Lee Spinelle hit a sacrifice fly that was flagged down on the run with an outstretched grab in the right field corner.
Vavasis and sophomore
James Petika, coming off a pair of doubles against Clearwater Christian College, each singled up the middle to chase sidearming reliever Jonah Davis in the eighth.
Webber International turned to George Schmitt to close and he finished with a perfect ninth inning.
The Tritons will return to the Turley Athletic Complex on Friday evening against Saint Leo University to begin a weekend Sunshine State Conference series at 7 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m.
