LAKELAND, FLA. – Florida Tech Baseball was back in action this afternoon against Florida Southern. The Panthers and Mocs wrapped up their weekend series with a doubleheader.
DOUBLEHEADER GAME ONE
Final: Florida Tech Panthers 3, Florida Southern Mocs 11
Records: Florida Tech (8-5, 3-2 SSC)
| Florida Southern (6-11, 2-3 SSC)
Location: Henley Field
| Lakeland, Florida
GAME NOTES:
- The Mocs struck first in game one of the doubleheader in the bottom of the first. They used a pair of singles to push a run across and take a 1-0 lead.
- After a scoreless second inning, the Panthers took the lead in the top of the third. Gabe Roque launched a two-run home run, his second of the series and the fourth of the season.
- Unfortunately for Tech, the Mocs responded with a homer of their own and exploded for a five-run bottom of the third to retake the lead. AJ Wydra buckled down to limit the damage and turned a 1-4-3 double play to end the inning, but the Moc lead was now 6-2.
- After two scoreless frames from the Panthers, the Mocs plated another run in the bottom of the sixth to extend their advantage.
- After adding another run in the bottom of the sixth, two more runs in the seventh and one in the eighth, Southern led 11-2 .
- Gabe Roque continued to be a bright spot for the Panthers as he hit another home run in the ninth to cut the lead to 11-3, but the Mocs held it there.
FINAL: Florida Tech Panthers 3, Florida Southern 11
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
DOUBLEHEADER GAME TWO
Final: Florida Tech Panthers 11, Florida Southern Mocs 12
Records: Florida Tech (8-6, 3-3 SSC)
| Florida Southern (7-11, 3-3 SSC)
Location: Henley Field
| Lakeland, Florida
GAME NOTES:
- The Panthers jumped on the Mocs early in the final game of the series. After Tech loaded the bases in the top of the first, Brian Perez cleared them with a three RBI double. Joseph Phan then scored Perez on a double of his own as the Panthers took a 4-0 lead.
- Hunter Stolov took the ball for the final game of the series and tossed two straight clean innings to start the game.
- Tech doubled their lead in the top of the third after Brian Perez smoked a three-run home run over the center field wall and Jeff Davis knocked a single past the Moc second basemen for an 8-0.
- Florida Southern responded with a big inning of their own, loading the bases to spark a four-run rally of their own and cut the Tech lead in half.
- After two scoreless innings from both sides, Marcello Cortale added another run for the Panthers in the top of the sixth with an RBI single.
- Much like the third inning, Southern responded right away to get that run back and make it a 9-5 Panthers lead.
- The Panthers extended the lead once more in the top of the seventh after Jeff Davis pulled off a safety squeeze to score Dylan Fatovich from third.
- The five-run lead wouldn't last long as it was cut into again in the bottom half of the inning by a Moc two-run home run.
- In the top of the ninth, Davis again pushed the lead back to a four-run difference after his RBI single made it an 11-7 game.
- Unfortunately for the Panthers, Florida Southern responded again in a huge way. With the bases loaded, the Mocs hit their third long ball of the game for a game-tying grand slam. The last inning comeback did not end there as Southern reloaded the bases and walked off the game with a single.
FINAL: Florida Tech Panthers 11, Florida Southern 12
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
UP NEXT: The Panthers will stay on the road as they head to St. Pete for a midweek regional contest against Eckerd. This non-conference game is scheduled for 5:00 PM on Tuesday, March 3
rd.
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