Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd baseball team dropped its fifth straight game on Tuesday night, falling to Warner (Fla.) at the Turley Athletic Complex, 9-2.
Warner (4-6-1) didn't use a big inning to build its lead but rather pushed runs across the plate in each of the first five innings scoring twice in the first, third, fourth and fifth on its way to a comfortable cushion early in the game.
Meanwhile, Eckerd (2-6) had trouble moving runners against Royals starter Nick Fernandez, who stranded seven Tritons in his six innings of work.
A sacrifice fly by
Chase Achuff got Eckerd on the board in the bottom of the fourth after
Mitch Calandra led off the inning with a single and
Tom Buonopane followed with a double. Â However, the Tritons only managed one run in the inning and left the bases loaded in the fifth, missing on another opportunity.
The quarter of
Nick Alonzo,Â
Steven Salisbury,
Gardner Nutter and
Cameron Lanzilli combined to hold the Royals scoreless for the last four innings, but the Triton offense couldn't make up the deficit against Fernandez and three relievers.
Eckerd's best chance to cut the deficit came in the seventh after loading the bases with two outs. Â Buonopane laced a single to left field to score
Garrett Hiott from third, but a laser throw from Warner's Taylor Briggs cut down
Nick Conti at the plate.
Justin Carrillo (0-2) took the loss, allowing five hits and five runs in 2-2/3 innings. Â Salisbury was spectacular in relief, throwing two hitless innings in the sixth and seventh.
Buonopane and
Sam Cochrane each had two hits for Eckerd.
The Tritons return to the field on Wednesday, hosting Ave Maria (Fla.) at 6:00 PM.
