Tritons Score Late-Inning Comeback Win Over Keiser

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd baseball team got another strong performance from its pitching staff in addition to late heroics at the plate on the way to a 2-1 win over Keiser (Fla.) on Monday afternoon at the Turley Athletic Complex.

Four Eckerd pitchers limited the Seahawks to two hits while runs in the eighth and ninth innings put the Tritons on top.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 2, Keiser 1
Records: Eckerd 14-15; Keiser 25-8
WP: Iervolino (1-1)  LP: Graffeo (2-1)

KEY MOMENTS

• Eckerd starter Drew Martin pitched around a pair of jams in the first two innings after putting runners on with a walk and hit batter. He got a double-play grounder in the first to help escape and struck out the last two batters in the second to strand two runners.
• Keiser's Alex Perez also worked out of first-and-third situations in each of the first two innings.
• Martin settled down and retired nine straight batters before Ryan Gronlier's single with one out in the first ended a no-hit bid.
• Martin's control left him early in the sixth when he walked leadoff hitter Miguel Casanueva and hit the next two batters.  He got a key strikeout of Karsten Sherman for the first out but Carlos Lopez sent a ball to the warning track in centerfield for a sacrifice fly that scored Casanueva.
• Cam Lanzilli entered in relief in the seventh and stranded two runners, ending the inning on a strikeout of Peter Crocitto.
• Chase Achuff's one-out double in the eighth inning set the stage for Mitch Calandra to deliver an RBI single to left as Achuff slid in just beneath the tag of Gronlier at the plate. Calandra stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Gronlier.  After seeing Keiser centerfielder Marco Rivera let the ball get behind him, Calandra took off for home but was cut down on a perfect throw from Rivera.
• Keiser put runners at first and second with two outs in the top of the ninth. Casanueva hit a short pop-up in the infield where Calandra, playing first base, made a diving grab to end the inning.
• Garrett Hiott was hit by a pitch leading off the home half of the ninth, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Shane LeMaster. Nick Arrivo, the next batter, hit a hard grounder on the first pitch he saw from Chris Graffeo to the right of Keiser shortstop Jonathan Fernandez.  Fernandez misplayed the ball, which rolled behind him into shallow left field and gave Hiott all the time he needed to score the winning run.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Achuff extended his hitting streak to nine games with his double in the eighth.
• Keiser, ranked No. 13 in the NAIA, came into the game hitting .354 as a team but was held to a mere two hits by the combination of Martin, Lanzilli, Jarid Salisbury, and Jack Iervolino.
• Calandra made his first career start at first base.  He was part of turning a 3-6-3 double play in addition to his diving catch in the ninth.
• The Eckerd pitching staff has allowed only 10 runs over its last four games.

UP NEXT
Eckerd travels to take on Barry University in a three-game conference series beginning on Thursday at 6:00 PM.