Valdosta, Georgia – Florida Tech Baseball was back on the field this evening for game two against Valdosta State. With the Panthers off to the best start in over a decade, they came into this game looking to continue the hot streak.
NON-CONFERENCE – GAME FIVE
Final Game Two: Florida Tech Panthers 11, Valdosta State Blazers 6
Records: Florida Tech (5-0)
| Valdosta State (1-5)
Location: Billy Grant Field
| Valdosta, Georgia
GAME NOTES:
- Valdosta State scored the first run of this afternoon's contest with a lead off home run in the bottom of the first.
- The Panthers wasted no time responding to the early VSU run. Cole Patrick sparked a two-out rally by reaching on an error, and Tyler McClanahan added another base runner after he poked a single to left field.
- With two outs and two on, Marcello Cortale made the Blazers pay with the biggest swing of his young Panther career. He drove a ball deep to left field for a three-run home run to put Tech ahead 3-1.
- AJ Wydra settled into the game and tossed a shutdown inning in the second and continued to roll in the third and fourth, not allowing a hit in three straight innings.
- In the top of the fifth, Gabe Roque stepped up to the plate with two runners on and blasted a three-run home run to extend the Panther lead to 6-1.
- A batter later, Cole Patrick hit a moonshot over the scoreboard in left-center field for the third Tech home run of the game and a 7-1 Panther lead.
- The Blazers got a run back in the bottom of the fifth, but AJ Wydra worked through traffic to limit the damage.
- Christian Montes entered the game in the sixth inning for Tech and tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
- Gabe Roque and Brian Perez led off the top of the seventh with back-to-back singles before scoring on doubles from Tyler McClanahan and Marello Cortale. McClanahan and Cortale also came in to score, giving the Panthers an 11-2 lead with nine outs to get.
- The fifth home run of the ballgame came from the Blazers, a two-run shot to cut into the lead but Tech still led by seven runs heading into the final two innings.
- The Blazers tried to cut into the deficit, but Bryson Walker came into the game and shut down the comeback effort.
FINAL: Florida Tech Panthers 11, Valdosta State Blazers 6
NOTABLE PANTHERS:
- AJ Wydra – WIN (1-0) - 1.0 IP, 4 Strikeouts, 3 Hits, 2 Earned Runs
- Gabe Roque – 2-3, Home Run, 3 RBI, Walk
- Tyler McClanahan – 3-4, Double, RBI,
- Marcello Cortale – 3-5, Home Run, Double, 5 RBI
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- With tonight's win, Jeff Tam has reached 100 career wins as the Panther skipper.
- Panthers improve to 6-6 against Valdosta State since 2016.
- Tech is 5-0 to start the season for the first time since 2015.
UP NEXT: Florida Tech and Valdosta State will wrap up their three-game series tomorrow at 1:00 PM. Tech will return home to face Flagler on February 10
th at 6:00 PM.
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