DAHLONEGA, Ga. (Baseball) - Florida Tech was defeated by the Quincy Hawks in a close game on Sunday. The Hawks, who are ranked No. 9 in the nation, managed to outscore the Panthers 8-5 at the neutral site of Bob Stein Stadium in Dahlonega, Georgia. 

The Panthers took a quick lead in the first inning when Reid Neal hit a home run to right center, bringing in John Sternagel who was already on base. The Hawks quickly answered and took the lead in the third inning. The Panthers came back in the fourth when Sternagel hit a home run of his own and brought Pedro Rivera home to make the score 4-3. The Hawks took their lead back in the fifth inning and managed to retain it for the rest of the game despite the efforts of Neal who hit another home run in the ninth.

Leading the Panthers was Neal who went 3-for-5 at the plate with his two home runs and three RBIs. Not far behind was Sternagel who went 2-for-4 and collected two runs and two RBIs. Defensively, Ryan Sinzenich collected 15 put outs from behind the plate. Grant McKown also had a good performance when he tallied seven put outs at first base. 

Starting pitcher Tyler Deel took his second loss of the season but still had a good performance when he tallied 10 strikeouts, while only allowing three hits in the four innings he pitched.

The Panthers face University of Mary next Saturday, Mar. 4, beginning at 11 a.m. ET at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, Florida. Fans can access live coverage of the action at FloridaTechSports.com.