The Florida Tech baseball team split a doubleheader with Eckerd on Saturday, winning game one 8-6, before dropping game two, 6-5 with their ninth-inning comeback short-circuited with the tying run at third and winning run at second. The loss in game two ended the Panthers’ winning streak at eight games.
Jakob Newton’s 20-game hitting streak came to an end in game two. He went 0-for-3 with a ninth-inning walk.
Eckerd’s offense got off to a great start in game one, scoring six runs in the first inning. Panthers starter Samuel Orozco allowed two hits before getting an out on an RBI groundout. He threw a wild pitch and walked a batter, loading the bases before giving way to reliever Daniel Vassallo.
Vassallo got the first batter out on a sac fly, giving the Tritons a 3-0 lead before Peter Stavrakos hit a three-run home run to give the visitors a 6-0 lead. Five of the runs were charged to Orozco, who faced six batters in ⅓ of an inning.
The Panthers’ comeback would start in the bottom of the second. Brett Parrish singled before a double by Dylan Owens put runners at second and third. Alec Eldridge singled home a run and went to second on a wild pitch. Paul Castillo chased home two runs on his double and cut the deficit to 6-3. Sam Schner’s sac fly would make it 6-4.
Newton would come to the plate in the bottom of the third with Jack Nagy at first and hit a two-run home run off of Eckerd starter Jake Andriole, tying things at six and extending his hitting streak to 20 games.
.@NewtonJakob’s two-run homer in the third inning extended his hitting streak to 20 consecutive games.
That is the longest by a @FloridaTechBB player since John Sternagel’s 20-game streak spanned the end of the 2016 season and the start of the 2017 season. pic.twitter.com/bfRl9DqP0e
— Florida Tech Stats (@FTStatsInfo) March 12, 2022
Florida Tech would score twice in the bottom of the seventh thanks to an RBI single by Eldridge and a double by Hayden Kimball that brought Eldridge home to put the Panthers up 8-6.
Vassallo allowed one run and seven hits in 5.2 innings of relief. He gave way to Andres Rodriguez who pitched two innings before giving way to Alex Carpenter came in to pitch the ninth and pick up his fourth save of the season.
With his save in game one this evening, Alex Carpenter recorded his 11th career save.
That breaks a tie with Brett Backman (2005-08) and Brandon Lindquist (2010) for sixth all-time in @FloridaTechBB history. pic.twitter.com/KwiHMfM7qY
— Florida Tech Stats (@FTStatsInfo) March 12, 2022
Game two was firmly in favor of the Tritons before the Panthers’ comeback in the bottom of the ninth fell just short.
For more info: Eckerd at Florida Tech Box Score (Game 1)
Florida Tech (19-6, 5-4 SSC) got on the board in the bottom of the first when Eldridge scored on a wild pitch. Eckerd tied the game in the top of the fourth on a hit by Danny Gutcher.
They would add four runs in the sixth inning with a two-run double by Dimerson Nunez and got two more on an error, putting Eckerd up 5-1. They would tack another one on in the top of the eighth on an Andriole RBI single, and they would end up needing it.
The Panthers would mount a comeback in the bottom of the ninth, starting with a Kimball double and a walk to Schner. Jack Nagy brought Kimball home with a single one out later, making it 6-2. After Newton walked to put runners at first and second, Eckerd made a pitching change.
A wild pitch scored Schner to cut the lead in half. Parrish would make it 6-5 with a two-run single. Luca Wentzel came in as a pinch-runner but with runners at second and third, Eldridge and Castillo went down swinging to end the game.
For more info: Eckerd @ Florida Tech Box Score (Game 2)
The Panthers will look to start a new winning streak on Monday when they meet Post at 3:00 p.m. in Lake Worth, FL.