ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A grand slam by Kyle Ericson in the fifth sealed the deal for the Tritons as the Eckerd baseball team took an 11-3 victory over the Panthers at the Turley Athletic Complex on Friday night.
After a perfect inning by Jacob Stipp in the first, the Tritons jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Suarez brought the Panthers back into contention with a two-run base hit in the second. Nearly three scoreless innings passed before a grand slam by Kyle Ericson extended the Triton favor, 7-2, in the fifth.
Tyler Cox and Jake Andriole each added an RBI in the sixth for a 9-2 Triton lead. Patrick hit one far over the left field wall to bring the Panthers' tally to three in the seventh. Back-to-back wild pitches by Andre Taipa in the eight brought in two more Triton runs for a final score of 11-3
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 11, Florida Tech 3
WP: Stipp (2-2) LP: Harding (2-4) HR: Ericson (2), Patrick (3)
RECORDS: Eckerd (16-10, 5-5 SSC), Florida Tech (18-12, 7-6 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- The pitching tandem of Jacob Stipp and Payton McIntosh combined for eight strikeouts in the outing. Stipp pitched a perfect inning in the first, striking out two batters with six strikeouts through seven innings of work. McIntosh added another two strikeouts in relief.
- Ericson's grand slam was his second home run of the season, and the first grand slam of his career. His four RBIs also set a career-high.
- Tyler Cox was a perfect 5-for-5 on the night, tying his career-high five hits in the Tritons' 13-7 victory over Florida Southern on March 18, 2022. Ballard went 3-for-5, also with one RBI.
- The Tritons combined for 14 hits in the outing.
UP NEXT
Eckerd continues the three-game series with a doubleheader tomorrow. The Tritons face the Panthers for game one at 1:00 PM at the Turley Athletic Complex.
