ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Florida Tech Panthers rallied in the ninth inning for the win in the opening game of a doubleheader, then took a large lead early in the finale as the Eckerd baseball team dropped a pair of games to FIT, 8-7 and 16-7, on Saturday afternoon at the Turley Athletic Complex.
The Tritons rallied from an early 4-0 deficit in the opener with seven runs from the fifth through eighth innings to take a 7-4 lead. However, Florida Tech used its own rally with a four-run ninth inning to take the win.
In the rubber game, FIT exploded early with a six-run first inning before taking a 12-1 lead after four innings. Eckerd chipped away at the lead with six runs over the final four innings but was unable to make up the difference.
HOW IT ENDED
Game One
Final: Florida Tech 8, Eckerd 7
WP: Willis (1-0)
LP: Favetta (2-2)
Sv: Allain (4)
HR: Owens (3), Newton (2)
Game Two
Final: Florida Tech 16, Eckerd 7
WP: Lorenz (1-1)
LP: Martin (2-1)
HR: Parrish (1), Bouser 2 (3), Maris (3)
Records: Eckerd 11-6 (3-3 SSC); Florida Tech 7-7 (4-2 SSC)
KEY MOMENTS
Game One
- Florida Tech broke through early with a 1-0 lead after Dylan Owens led off the second inning with a solo homerun. The Panthers looked to continue to threaten after two straight singles but Robin Allen was able to coax a popup and groundout to escape the jam.
- FIT tacked on three runs in the next frame by taking advantage of Triton miscues. James Gronberg reached on an error and came around to score on a single for the first run while the next run crossed on a wild pitch before Jakob Newton hit a solo homerun for a 4-0 lead.
- The Tritons finally broke through in the fifth inning as Mitch Calandra hit an RBI single to centerfield to score Keith Leavitt, Jr., who reached on a walk.
- The Tritons continued their rally with another two runs in the sixth. Nick Arrivo singled to left center and moved to third on a Santos Grande double before Bryan Torres brought him in with a sacrifice fly to left. Leavitt, Jr. then brought in Grande on a double down the right-field line.
- Eckerd took a 5-4 lead with two runs in the seventh. Garrett Hiott led off the inning with a walk before stealing second base to move into scoring position. Sam Cochrane followed with a single through the right side to score Hiott for the tying run. Cochrane advanced to second on the play following an error and moved to third on a stolen base. Chase Achuff followed with a sacrifice fly to left to score Cochrane.
- After the third, Allen settled in allowing just two hits over the next three innings while Ryan Lashley, who entered in the seventh, kept the Panthers off the board retiring all six batters faced.
- Eckerd built on its lead in the eighth as Hiott hit a two-run single through the right side scoring Grande and Torres.
- FIT rallied in the ninth for four runs to take an 8-7 lead. The Panthers' leadoff batter reached on a single and scored two batters later on a Brett Parish double. An RBI single later in the inning pulled FIT within one before they took the lead on a Buser two-run single down the left field line.
Game Two
- FIT took an early lead in the opening frame after a pair of three-run homeruns by Blaise Maris and Parish.
- The Panthers added another four runs in the third on an RBI single and a three-run homerun by Jacob Buser.
- The Tritons got a run back in the bottom of the frame following an Achuff sacrifice fly, scoring Cochrane who reached on an error to lead off the inning.
- Florida Tech tacked on another two runs in the fourth after a bases-loaded two-run single for a 12-1 lead.
- The Tritons chipped away scoring six runs in the fifth through eighth innings but were unable to make up the difference. Arrivo drove in two runs with a double to left-center in the fifth while Achuff drove in a run with an RBI groundout in the seventh.
- The Tritons loaded the bases in the eighth after Justin Glover was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning before Nathaniel Hibbs and Cochrane reached on a single and a walk. Hiott brought in the first run with a groundout to first while Jake Romine ripped a double down the left field line for the next two runs.
- FIT added to its lead with an RBI double in the sixth and a pair of RBI singles in the seventh.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Conti led Eckerd at the plate in the opener going 3-for-3 and extending his hitting streak to 10 games before leaving the game early with an injury. Hiott, Arrivo, and Grande collected two hits apiece in the opener as well. Calandra led the Tritons in the second game with three hits while Jake Romine collected two hits and two RBIs. Achuff and Arrivo also collected two RBIs in the finale as well.
- After Calandra's four hits on the day, he moves into seventh place in program history with 208 career hits.
- Hiott had a hit in the opener extending his hitting streak to 10 games but it stopped there as he went hitless in the second game. He did draw a walk to extend his reached base streak to 17 games. Cochrane and Conti have 14 game reached base streaks as well.
- A combined 33 players appeared in the finale between both teams.
- Joey Favetta took the loss in relief in the first game giving up four runs over two-thirds of an inning while Drew Martin took the loss in the finale allowing six runs in one inning.
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to action Wednesday as they travel to Rollins campus to play Malone (Ohio) University at 6:00 PM.
