A Ryan Sinzenich grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning highlighted an eight-run frame for Florida Tech as they came from behind to beat the Walsh Cavaliers 11-4 on Tuesday, at Andy Seminick-Les Hall Field.
Every starter in the Florida Tech lineup had at least one hit, led by Rodnie Bernard who came into the game with three hits and had himself a day, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Jacob Buser (2-for-5), Daniel Szpik (2-for-5), and Zac Orchard (2-for-4) all had a multi-hit day.
Florida Tech (6-12) got on the board first against Walsh starter Aidan Mlachak. Orchard singled and Raul Quintero walked. Kevin Capella moved both runners up with a sac bunt and a wild pitch brought Orchard home.
Panthers starter Justin Barney allowed an RBI single to Alec Debruler in the top of the third, bringing home Andrew Czech who doubled earlier in the inning. Czech struck again in the fifth inning, taking Barney out of the yard with two outs and giving the Cavaliers a 3-1 lead. Barney would get the final out and his day was over.
Barney allowed three runs and five hits over five innings. He also struck out five and did not walk a batter.
Ryan Allain took the mound in the sixth and got the first out before Spencer Helwig reached on an error by Orchard in left field. Joey Holiga singled, putting runners at the corners. Allain then plunked Ross Etgen to load the bases. To Allain’s credit, he came back and made the pitch he needed, getting Cobe Hutchison to ground into an inning-ending double play.
After giving up a single to Marcus Bobb to start the seventh, Allain was lifted in favor of Jordan Murray. One out later, Bobb stole second, putting an insurance run in scoring position. Murray erased that possibility when he picked Bobb off at second. That was key because there was that man again Czech came up and hit a double. Instead of a run in and a runner at second, Czech was stranded.
Mlachak ran out of gas in the seventh. He walked Jakob Newton, gave up a single to Bernard and walked James Gronberg to load the bases. The call to the bullpen brought Joey Beals into the game and moments later the whole complexion of the game changed when Sinzenich drove one over the center field wall, turning a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 lead.
The Panthers poured it on from there. Capella’s two-run single made it 7-3 and a run-scoring single from Bernard gave FIT a five-run cushion. Gronberg’s RBI single made it 9-3 and brought Beals day to an end after 2/3rds of an inning. He was charged with five runs, while Mlachak was on the hook for four.
Hutchinson’s sac fly in the eight made it 9-4, but the Panthers answered in a big way in the bottom of the inning, when Orchard hit a two-run homer off of Drew Saunier.
For more info: Walsh @ Florida Tech Box Score
Murray (1-1) got the win for the Panthers with his three innings of work. He allowed two hits and an unearned run, walked one and struck out three.
The Panthers are right back on the field Wednesday with a neutral site game against Ohio Valley University. The game will be played at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.