Royals Rally in Eighth to Edge Eckerd

Box Score LAKE WALES, Fla. - The Eckerd baseball team came up short in a back-and-forth affair at Warner (Fla.) on Tuesday as the Royals scored twice in the bottom of the eighth for an 8-7 win over the Tritons.

Eckerd (12-18) twice rallied from a deficit to take a lead only to see Warner return the favor both times.

The Royals jumped ahead early with four runs in the top of the first while Warner starter Cameron Cooper and reliever Josh Lewis held the Tritons scoreless through the first five innings.

Jack Mahan settled in after a rough first inning and combined with Nick Alonzo to keep Warner off the scoreboard for the next five innings, allowing EC to take a lead in the sixth.

The Tritons took advantage of several Warner miscues in the top of the sixth to score five runs.  The Royals committed two errors and hit three batters, and Eckerd made them pay.  After being hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, Nick Conti came around to score on wild pitch.  Garrett Hiott's sacrifice fly brought in Tom Buonopane before two runs scored on an error to tie the game.

Daniel Autiello capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to score Justin Glover and give EC a 5-4 lead.

Warner (19-22) reclaimed the lead in the seventh with runs scoring on a balk and a wild pitch, but Eckerd answered in the top of the eighth on a two-run single by Reid Zitzelburg.

However, the Royals rallied with two outs in the bottom of the eighth after a single and an error put runners on first and second.  Gerson Sotolongo then singled to bring in the tying run, and one batter later Warner scored the go-ahead run on a delayed steal attempt.

Eckerd appeared to be primed to retake the lead in the top of the ninth after Mitch Calandra and Buonopane opened the inning with back-to-back singles, but both were stranded as Broderick Rodocker retired the next three batters.

Ben Deaver (0-1) took the loss, allowing two unearned runs in the eighth.  Calandra kept his hitting streak alive with a 2-for-5 performance while Conti extended his streak of reaching base safely to 30 games.

The Tritons return to the field tomorrow, hosting Ave Maria (Fla.) at 6:00 PM.