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Box Score 2 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The ninth-ranked Florida Southern Moccasins used a pair of late rallies to complete a weekend sweep of the Eckerd baseball team on Saturday, handing the Tritons 6-5 and 13-4 losses at the Turley Athletic Complex.
The day started on a high note for Eckerd, as the opening game of Friday's double-header resumed after being suspended by rain. As play began, the Tritons had two runners on with
Grant Banko at the plate. Banko smashed the second pitch he saw over the left-field wall for a three-run home run to give EC a 3-1 lead.
The Mocs got a solo home run from Sam Machonis to lead off the third, but
Daniel Autiello answered with an RBI single to keep the Tritons on top, 4-2. Florida Southern, though, tied the game in the fifth inning and took the lead in the sixth when Kevin Fuller scored on a wild pitch.
Eckerd came back with a solo home run by
Tom Buonopane to lead off the bottom of the seventh, tying the game at 5-5, and had a chance to take the lead but left the bases loaded.
Mitch Reeves later delivered a two-out RBI single for FSC (20-7, 6-3 SSC) in the top of the ninth to break the tie, and the Tritons were retired in order in the bottom of the inning as the Mocs took a narrow 6-5 win in the opener.
EC again took an early lead in the final game, getting an RBI single from Autiello in the first and a solo home run from
Nick Conti in the second. Meanwhile, freshman
Alex Moore was solid on the mound over five innings, allowing only one run while fanning five and stranding seven in helping the Tritons take a 3-1 lead through five after
Mitchell Calandra's RBI single.
That lead held until the seventh inning, when the Mocs exploded for eight runs off four Eckerd pitchers. Florida Southern then added to its lead in the ninth inning with four solo home runs.
The scoring onslaught was too much for Eckerd to overcome as the Tritons managed only one more run off an RBI single by
Garrett Hiott in the eighth.
The Tritons out-hit the Mocs in the first game, 9-5, but issued six walks and hit two batters. Autiello went 3-for-5 in the game while Buonopane and Banko had two hits each. Hits were nearly even in the second game with 12 for FSC and 11 for Eckerd. Buonopane, Calandra and
Carter Cashman each had two hits in the game.
Joey Favetta (0-1) took the loss in game one despite allowing only two hits over 4-2/3 innings pitched and striking out six.
Jack Silberman (0-5) shouldered the loss in the finale after giving up the first four runs of the seventh.
Eckerd (9-14, 2-10 SSC) returns to the field on Tuesday, traveling to face Warner (Fla.) University in a non-conference contest at 3:30 PM.
