MELBOURNE, Fla. (Baseball) - Florida Tech swept the No.10 Fighting Knights with an impressive doubleheader on Saturday at Andy Seminick-Les Hall Field. In Game 1, Florida Tech trailed Lynn for most of the game, but they managed to rally in the bottom of the ninth inning and pull ahead, defeating the Knights 4-3. In Game 2, the Panthers kept up the hard work and never lost sight of the victory, conquering the Knights 9-3. With an extraordinary performance from both the offense and the defense, the Panthers collected their first conference series sweep of the season. 

In Game 1, Lynn took a quick lead and scored a run in the second inning. The Knights scored again in the fifth, keeping the Panthers scoreless until Daniel Szpik hit a home run to left field in the home half, closing the gap, 2-1. The score remained the same until the eighth inning when Lynn scored another run, but the Panthers quickly answered in the bottom of the inning when Pedro Rivera managed to bring in an RBI, bringing the score to a one-run deficit.

Florida Tech managed to shut out the Knights in the top of the ninth, and when the Panthers came to the plate in the bottom of the inning, David Wilson drove an RBI single to tie up the game. The Panthers were hungry for the win and Ryan Sinzenich stepped up to the plate hitting a double down the right field line, pushing Raul Quintero home and granting the Panthers their victory.

Taking his first win of the season is closer Luke Lorah, who shut out the Knights and held them to just two hits in the 0.1 innings he pitched. Lorah also struck out one of the three batters he faced. Starting pitcher Tyler Deel pitched seven innings, holding Lynn to just two runs on four hits, while striking-out four and walking one of the 27 batters faced. 

Game 2 came and Florida Tech was looking to hit hard and early in the game, as FIT scored two runs in the second inning on a hard double to the deep left field by catcher Zac Orchard. The Panthers held the Fighting Knights scoreless until the fifth inning, when they eventually scored their first run. However, that did not stop the Panthers from answering in the home offensive half when they scored three more runs of their own.

Reid Neal, John Sternagel, and Nick Capra all brought in a RBI apiece, bumping the Panthers lead, 5-1. The Knights were not able to answer until the top of the seventh, as Lynn grabbed another run. The Panthers came out in the bottom of the inning looking to increase their lead, as Sinzenich hit his second double of the day, clawing an extra run for FIT.

Once the eighth inning came around, Florida Tech held Lynn to just one more run, while the Panthers snatched another run off of a RBI single by Sinzenich, locking the sweep for the Crimson and Gray, 9-3.

Starting pitcher Andrew Marzheuser collected his fifth win of the season, as he struck-out five and allowed only one run on six hits within the five innings pitched. Rhett Willis came in to relieve Marzheuser in the sixth, allotting solely one run in two innings pitched. Drew Beyer closed Game 2, pitching the final two innings where he struck out one and held the Knights to just one run off three hits.

Sinzenich had an oustanding 7-for-9 performance at the plate on the day, collecting one run and five RBI. The designated player collected two doubles and a stolen base. Sternagel collected three runs and an RBI on the day and hit a hard triple to left center in Game 1. Szpik recorded his fourth seasonal home run during Game 1, accompanied by two runs and an RBI. Capra went 3-for-5 on the day with two runs and one RBI. The team as a whole collected 19 hits and 13 runs on the day with four doubles, one triple and one home run.

The Panthers are at home again for their next SSC series against the Tampa University Spartans. Game 1 will be Friday Mar. 31 at 6 p.m. ET. For live coverage, log on to floridatechsports.com/live.