Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Earlier in the season when the Eckerd Tritons and Florida Southern Moccasins squared off both teams surged offensively, and the Thursday night Sunshine State Conference baseball contest between the two teams got off to a similar start before Florida Southern took a 17-4 victory.
Both teams scored a run in the first inning of play, but ninth-ranked FSC (18-7, 4-3 SSC) picked up another pair in the second. EC (9-12, 12-8 SSC) answered with three of their own in the bottom half of the inning that was highlighted by a solo homerun by
Tom Buonopane, his first at Eckerd.
The Mocs responded with another run in the top of the third before exploding with a five-run, six-hit sixth inning to put EC down 9-4. FSC scored in the remainder of the innings while holding EC scoreless behind the pitching of Ben Richardson, Chase Pilato and Walter Burgess.
The bats were still working for the Tritons as they recorded 11 on the night but were unable to string together a series of hits after the second inning. Eckerd loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning, but Burgess struck out the next two Triton batters to end the game.
Buonopane added a single to his night to finish the night 2-for-4 while
Daniel Autiello and
Lucas Luopa both doubled. Luopa also finished 2-for-4 with a single. Nine Tritons recorded hits on the night.
Dillon McCollough (2-2) went five innings in the start, striking out five batters. Despite the rough night on the mound, Eckerd pitchers did combine to record 11 strikeouts.
The two teams return to the Turley Athletic Complex early Friday afternoon with a double header that begins at 1:00 PM.
