ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Eckerd College baseball head coach
Bill Mathews collected his 500th career win and then some as his program swept Palm Beach Atlantic University on Saturday afternoon at the Turley Athletic Complex by scores of 6-5 and 2-1.
It was a day when the Tritons (24-17, 8-10 SSC) dealt with a flood of emotions and played with heavy hearts while banding together as a unit after learning one of their teammates,
Shane Bishop, had his mother had pass away last night following a battle with cancer.
The team commemorated Bishop and his family with a moment of silence before the game, played his walk-up song the first time through the batting order and replicated his stirrups on the playing field.
Mathews was serenaded with the celebratory Gatorade ice bath in between games and additionally presented the game ball at home plate by Eckerd Director of Athletics
Dr. Bob Fortosis. The team signed the ball afterwards as a keepsake item and posed for multiple pictures.
Already the program's all-time winningest coach, Mathews joined elite company at the Division II coaching level among a handful of active coaches with 500 or more wins in their careers.
He announced earlier this spring that his 24th season of guiding the program would be his final farewell tour to cement his legacy in the program's history.
Last night's game to officially complete the series was rained out and rescheduled for Tuesday, April 29, in St. Petersburg with a 6 p.m. first pitch.
Game 1 - Eckerd 6, Palm Beach Atlantic 5 The Tritons pulled off a come-from-behind win in game one, rallying back from an early five-run deficit.
The Sailfish opened up the first inning with four consecutive hits, including an RBI double off the bat of junior Chris Farrell and a two-run single from senior Joel Buchko to take an early 3-0 lead before the first out was recorded.
A two-run home run from junior Andres Vazquez in the third inning gave Palm Beach Atlantic a 5-0 lead.
The Tritons answered with three runs in the bottom of the third as senior
Mike Vavasis singled to left field to score EC's first run of the game and senior
Chris Hanson followed with a two-out home run that sailed over the fence in center.
A leadoff double from sophomore
Carter Cashman started off the fourth inning for Eckerd, and Cashman would later score on a squeeze bunt from junior
James Petika to cut PBA's lead to 5-4.
Eckerd scored the tying and go-ahead runs in the seventh as an infield RBI single from Hanson and a Sailfish error scored
Matt MacMahon and
Lucas Luopa.
Senior
Conar Mahon earned his first win of the season by recording one out in the seventh.
Starter
Richard Cruz-Sanchez, Mahon and
Taylor Owens combined to allow just two hits as they shut down PBA's hitters in the final six innings. Owens earned his sixth save of the season as he tossed the final two innings.
Game 2 - Eckerd 2, Palm Beach Atlantic 1 The Tritons pushed their first run across in the fourth inning as senior
Chris Hanson led off the inning with a triple off the wall in center and later scored on a wild pitch.
But Palm Beach Atlantic pieced together four hits, including three off of bunts, to knot the score at one.
A sacrifice fly out from junior
Mike Abraham brought
Jake O'Rourke across the dish in the sixth as Eckerd took a final 2-1 lead.
Junior starting pitcher
Jimmy Gutowski got back on track as he improved to 9-2 and notched his sixth complete game of the year. Gutowski allowed one run on six hits and struck out three while exhausting a total of only 72 pitches.
Up Next: The Tritons will travel to Warner University on Tuesday to face the Royals in a nine-inning non-conference game scheduled at 3:30 p.m. in Lake Wales.
