Early Outburst Lifts Eckerd Past Bridgeport for Second Straight Night

Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - If momentum in sports in a measurable quantity, the Eckerd baseball team should have plenty heading into conference play again this weekend.

On Wednesday, the Tritons won for the seventh time in their last nine games after a 13-4 defeat of the University of Bridgeport (Conn.) in the finale of a quick two-game series at the Turley Athletic Complex.

Eckerd (10-13) jumped on top early with a three-run second and four-run third.  Matthew Miller drove in the game's first run with a single in the second and Sam Cochrane later brought in two more with a two-out single.

Miller struck again in the third, blasting a two-run home run off the scoreboard in right field to plate the final two runs of the four-run inning.  Chase Achuff's RBI single two batters earlier brought in both Tom Buonopane and Jamaal Chaney.

Starting pitcher Derek Lamensdorf escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second but finally allowed the Purple Knights (2-6) to score in the fourth after three hits and an error resulted in three runs.

Bridgeport added another run in the fifth off reliever Jarid Salisbury, who struck out Ben Torres to end the fourth, before Gardner Nutter returned the favor to Salisbury by striking out Casey Ouelette to end the fifth with two runners on base.

Eckerd responded with a run in the bottom of the inning on an Andrew Don single and added another in the sixth via a Buonopane sacrifice fly.

Nick Conti then delivered a two-strike, two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 11-4, and EC added two more runs in the eighth to pad its lead.

The Eckerd bullpen was again outstanding, shutting down the Knights over the last four innings.  Ben Deaver, Nick Alonzo and Lucas Spetsas all pitched perfect innings of relief before Joey Favetta struck out the side in the ninth.

Nutter (1-0) picked up the win as he stranded two in the fifth with the tying run at the plate.

The Tritons had a season-high 14 hits in the game, including four from Achuff and three from Conti.  Cochrane, Don and Miller each had two hits with Miller's four RBIs leading the team.

Eckerd heads into the weekend hosting Barry University in a three-game series beginning on Friday at 6:00 PM.