Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Less than 24 hours after defeating Clearwater Christian, the Eckerd College baseball team dropped Webber International, 3-2, in a tightly contested ball game on Wednesday night.
Both teams were quiet through the first two innings of play. The Warriors grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the top of third off a two out RBI single by AJ Arroyo.
Lucas Luopa led off the bottom half of the inning with a bunt single.
Rowdy Andrews came up and sent line drive to right field creating a first and third situation with no one out.
Carter Cashman drove a fly ball into right field which was deep enough to plate Luopa on the sacrifice fly knotting the game at 1-1.
A solo home run from Webber's Taylor Layner in the fourth put his team back on top. The Eckerd offense was stifled in the fifth and sixth before breaking through in the seventh.
James Petika got the inning going with a single up the middle and moved to second a sac bunt by
Jake O'Rourke. Luopa snagged his second base hit of the game pushing the tying run over to third base with just one away. A fielder's choice from Andrews brought home Petika to tie up the game, 2-2.
Nick Hill was sent to the plate to start the eighth as a pincher hitter and promptly single into centerfield. With two strikes on him,
Matt MacMahon was able to put down the bunt moving Hill over to second.
Mike Abraham grounded out to third, but hustling after the throw, Hill got 90 feet closer to home ending up on third.
Grant Banko, the second pinch hitter of the inning, singled to left to bring in the go ahead run.
Taylor Owens was the pitcher of record in the eight, but gave way to the bullpen and
Kyle Harding in the ninth. The submariner issued a walk to the leadoff man, but got a ground ball from the next hitter to induce the 3-6-3 double play. Harding proceeded to get the final out of the inning on the next batter to clinch the victory. Owens earned his first win of the season while Harding grabbed save number three.
Luopa and Petika both notched a multi-hit ball game with two singles apiece while Andrews stole two bags in the win.
Eckerd (15-19, 3-10) will look to continue their winning ways this weekend when the team welcomes SSC foe Barry University (15-20, 3-9) to the Turley Athletic Complex for a three game series. Game one is scheduled for Friday afternoon with first pitch coming at 6 pm.
