Late-Inning Comeback Spoils Season Opener for Tritons

Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A late-inning rally by the University of Montevallo spoiled the season opener for the Eckerd baseball team as the Falcons scored five times in the top of the ninth for an 8-6 win over the Tritons on Friday night at the Turley Athletic Complex.

The Tritons carried a 6-1 lead into the eighth inning behind a solid start from Dillon McCullough, who fanned 11 over 5-2/3 innings of work.

After the Falcons scored in the top of the fourth, Eckerd (0-1) answered in the bottom of the inning when Nick Conti scored after a dropped third strike allowed him to come home from third base.  The Tritons then took the lead with a five-run fifth inning highlighted by a bases-loaded triple from freshman Sam Cochrane.  Conti then drove Cochrane home with an RBI single and later came around to score after stealing third and advancing home on an error.

The EC lead preserved until Montevallo took advantage of two errors in the eighth to score twice and then chased reliever Jack Mahan with one out in the ninth.  Newcomer Cameron Lanzilli entered the game and retired the first batter he faced, but put the next three runners on with two walks and a hit batsman as two more runs crossed the plate.

Justin Carrillo relieved Lanzilli and had two strikes on U of M's Dom DeVille before Deville laced a three-run double into the left-center gap to put the Falcons ahead.

Tom Buonopane led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk to bring the tying run to the plate, but Cas Silber struck out the next two EC batters and stranded Buonopane at third after coaxing a fly out to end the game.

Cochrane and Garrett Hiott each had two hits for the Tritons.  Mahan struck out six in 2-2/3 innings while allowing only one hit.  Lanzilli (0-1) took the loss.

The weekend series concludes tomorrow with a double-header beginning at 12:00 PM.