ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Eckerd College baseball team assembled a striking, come-from-behind win over Ohio Valley University, 5-4,
on Monday evening at the Turley Athletic Complex.
After allowing three runs in the first inning, it was lights out for Eckerd's senior starter
Richard Kowalski.
An Ohio Valley bases-loaded no-out situation turned into a sacrifice fly in foul territory and a two-run single to give the Fighting Scots (2-6 overall) the early lead.
As he settled in, Kowalski allowed just three base runners over the next five shutout innings.
The Tritons (11-5, 2-1 SSC) chipped away at Ohio Valley's lead, adding one run in the second inning off a Fighting Scots' error, and one run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from senior
Mike Vavasis to score senior
Chris Hanson.
Eckerd made its move in the fifth inning, with senior
Lincoln Dunham leading off the inning with a single up the middle. A double down the left-field line from sophomore
Carter Cashman gave the Tritons runners on first and third base with no outs.
Hanson followed with an RBI groundout to score Dunham and tie the game, and a single up the middle from junior
Mike Abraham in the next at-bat brought Cashman across the plate to give Eckerd a 4-3 edge.
The Tritons added an insurance run in the sixth, which would prove to be the game-winning run, when sophomore
Rowdy Andrews hammered a solo home run on an inside pitch over the left field fence.
The Fighting Scots threatened the Tritons' lead in the eighth inning, scoring one run on two Eckerd errors in the same sequence, but junior reliever
Kyle Harding shut down Ohio Valley's offense on two ground outs.
Sophomore lefty
Taylor Owens entered the game in the ninth inning to earn his third consecutive save. After retiring the first two outs on groundouts, Owens ended the game with a strikeout in a full count.
Kowalski earned the win to move to 1-1 on the season. He allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk and struck out seven. Freshman
Jack Silberman recorded a hold with a scoreless seventh inning.
Dunham, Cashman and Hanson, each tallied two hits apiece in the win. Hanson also scored two runs and drove in one more.
Eckerd will take on Hillsdale (Mich.) College
on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Turley Athletic Complex.
Live stats and video will be available on
www.EckerdTritons.com.
