The Florida Tech baseball team kept clawing back on Thursday, but ultimately lost their season opener 8-6 to Lynn in Boca Raton.
Raul Quintero had four of the Panthers’ nine hits going 4-for-4 with four runs scored and a 2-run home run in the fifth inning. Jakob Newton hit the Panthers’ other long ball in this game, a two-run shot in the seventh, closing the gap to 8-5.
Byron Murray was the difference in this game hitting two home runs in a 2-for-5 day. He knocked in four runs and scored two.
Boris Villa (0-1) got the start on the mound for the Panthers. He went 4.1 innings and allowed just three hits but they were costly hits as four of the five runs allowed were earned. He struck out three including Murray to start the bottom of the first. He walked the next batter and then gave up a long home run to Trevor Romeo, giving Lynn a 2-0 lead.
The Panthers (0-1) got on the board in the top of the third when Quintero singled and went to second on a wild pitch from Lynn reliever Kendrick Pico. He went to third on the throw and would later score on another wild pitch.
The first of Murray’s homers made it 3-1 in the bottom of the frame and the Fighting Knights would pick up another run on a sac fly by James Buckley.
Quintero’s big bomb came in the top of the fifth after a Blaise Maris walk, closing the gap to 4-3. Villa would start the bottom of the fifth and get the first out before a walk ended his day.
Andres Rodriguez came in in relief and a sac fly by Lawrence Cicileo made it 5-3. Lynn widened the lead in the bottom of the sixth with a single and a hit-by-pitch. That set up the three-run homer by Murray, making it 8-5.
Rodriguez struck out five in three innings of work. Jordan Murray got the final two outs for the Panthers.
Quintero started the seventh with a single and he scored ahead of Newton on the two-run home run that made it an 8-5 game. The Panthers would strand a runner at third in the eighth, before Paul Castillo would get a sac fly in the top of the ninth, scoring Quintero.
For more info: Florida Tech @ Lynn Box Score
The Panthers will host these same fighting Knights on Friday in a doubleheader starting at 3:00 p.m.