In a game that started at 1:05 p.m. and included a four-hour, 16-minute rain delay, the Florida Tech Panthers beat Palm Beach Atlantic 8-7 on Thursday at Andy Seminick-Les Hall Field.
Before the game, the Panthers honored their six seniors who will be leaving the program. Those seniors include Tristen Adams, Rodnie Bernard, Matt DiNenna, Blaise Maris, Jordan Murray, and Raul Quintero. We wish all these seniors as well as the seniors from Palm Beach Atlantic, great success.
This was originally supposed to be a doubleheader but with the long delay and weather still in the area, the mutual decision was made to cancel that second game.
The Panthers erased a four-run deficit with a seven-run fourth inning before getting the eventual winning run in the eighth inning. The victory was the eighth straight for the Panthers and gave them a 17-10 overall record, including 15-9 in the Sunshine State Conference.
PBA (10-16) got on the board in the top of the third inning, scoring two runs against Panthers starter Mitchell Harding, who worked out of trouble nicely in the first couple of innings.
Jake Roper’s RBI single got a run in and a fielder’s choice by Robert Fabello made it 2-0 Sailfish. Harding finished the inning but was relieved by DiNenna in the fourth. Harding went three innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walked two, and struck out one. He threw 57 pitches 32 strikes.
DiNenna allowed three straight singles to start the fourth inning, the last of those to Landen Morrison, driving in Carlos Lara to extend the Sailfish lead to 3-0. As soon as that run crossed the plate the lightning warning system sounded and the game was delayed.
After the lengthy delay, the inning picked up and PBA put another run on the board thanks to a sacrifice fly by Roper.
Drew Holweger was called on to pitch for Palm Beach Atlantic in the bottom of the fourth. He walked Paul Castillo and Brett Parrish to start the inning and two consecutive wild pitches brought Castillo home with the first run. A walk and a ground out got runners to second and third and a Maris ground out got the second Panthers run home.
Sam Schner would follow with an RBI single to make it 4-3. Schner would steal second and after a Quintero single, Jakob Newton reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Schner with the tying run. A Bernard single drove in another run and a balk scored Newton to give the Panthers a 6-4 lead. The final run scored on a wild pitch.
The lead didn’t last long with PBA starting the fifth inning with three consecutive hits. The last of those was an RBI double from Lara to make it 7-5. A Sean Houck ground out made it 7-6 and they tied the game on a Morrison sac fly.
Things remained tied until the eighth inning when the Panthers put together a two-out rally against reliever Justin Lovell. Quintero singled and got all the way to third on an overthrow. He would then score on a Newton single, giving the Panthers an 8-7 lead.
Panthers closer Alex Carpenter came on to pitch the ninth inning and nailed down his seventh save of the season with a 1-2-3 inning.
For more info: Palm Beach Atlantic @ Florida Tech Box Score
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