The Florida Tech Panthers (12-19) welcomed #16 Georgia College (23-7) to Andy Seminick-Les Hall Field on Friday, as the two teams played the first two games of a three-game set. Georgia won game one handily 9-3 and took game two, 6-2.
Ty Cohen (3-2) got the start in game one, giving up four runs on 10 hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out five, throwing 97 pitches. His mound counterpart Charlie Hecht improved to 7-0, allowing three runs in five innings, walking two and striking out three. He tossed 100 pitches.
The Panthers gave Cohen a lead in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs. Raul Quintero singled and moved to third on a single by Rodnie Bernard. James Gronberg‘s sac fly made it 1-0 and a double off the bat of Daniel Szpik made it 2-0.
Garrett Green got the Bobcats on the board with an RBI single and the visitors had a chance for more, but an attempted double steal went awry when Brandt Stallings was out trying to steal third.
The Panthers got that run back in the bottom of the frame when Quintero singled home Zac Orchard, who walked to lead off the inning, giving the Panthers a 3-1 lead. That score remained until the sixth inning when the GCSU put a three-spot on the board.
Stallings had an RBI single, Green an RBI double and Cal Gentry’s RBI single brought home Green and gave the visitors a 4-3 lead. They would add one run in the seventh on a Brendan Holler single and put the game out of reach with a four-run ninth, highlighted by a three-run bomb by Holler.
Quintero finished the game going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. He was the only Panther with multiple hits, despite having nine as a team.
Gentry finished 3-for-6, Stallings went 3-for-5 and Holler was 3-for-5 with four RBIs. The Bobcats pounded out 19 hits in game one.
For more info: Georgia College @ Florida Tech Box Score (Game 1)
Game two started much the same way as game one for the Panthers, putting up two runs in the second inning against Bobcats starter Trevor Guthrie. Orchard and Kevin Capella had singles in the inning and after Capella stole second, Guthrie walked Jakob Newton to load the bases and then gave Pierson Reynolds a free pass and the Panthers a 1-0 lead. A sacrifice fly by Vincenzo Catanza made it 2-0.
Panthers starter Rhett Willis made that lead stand up through five innings, before running into trouble in the sixth. He hit Caleb Slaughter to start the inning and gave up a single to Austin Holloway, before being lifted for reliever Jordan Murray.
Murray (2-1) got an out before an error by Jacob Buser at first allowed a run to score. Matthew Miller followed with a two-run homer and gave his team a 3-2 lead. RBI singles by Green and Brandon Purcell made it 5-2. Matt DiNenna came in to get the final out of a five-run inning. The final Bobcats run came in the ninth when Green stole home.
Orchard had two of the Panthers five hits in game two.
For more info: Georgia College @ Florida Tech Box Score (Game 2)
The Panthers will look to avoid the sweep when this series wraps up Saturday at noon.