Tech and Southern Split Doubleheader in SSC Action

Center fielder Chris Fox made some quality grabs for the Panthers in doubleheader action at #1 FSC Saturday. He had two hits with a run and an RBI for the day. Photo by Stephen Smith.

LAKELAND, Fla. (Baseball) – In day two of the Sunshine State Conference series between 15th-ranked Florida Tech and #1 Florida Southern, the home-standing Moccasins took game one, 9-2, but the Panthers bounced back to defeat FSC 7-6 in the second to avoid the sweep, evening out Tech’s SSC record to 3-3 with a 14-4 overall scorecard.

Florida Tech had a rough time to start the day as the Mocs (16-2, 2-1) put up three runs in the first and tacked on four more in the bottom half of the third for the early big advantage. The Panthers finally had an answer in the top of the fourth when, in a two-out rally, catcher Brian Flynn singled to left to bring home Josh Hinkle to make it a 7-1 game.

Pitcher Josh Ziemba managed the game well through the middle innings after coming in for Randall Thompson to start the third, but the bottom of the eighth brought on two more runs for the Mocs on three hits and one Panther error. Ben Scheffer, one of four to come in and pinch hit in the ninth for Florida Tech, notched an RBI single, but the margin was too great for the Panthers to overcome.

Gus Fernandez was the lone Panther to record multiple hits in the effort (2-5). Thompson suffered his first loss of the year (1-1) while FSC’s Eddie Sipple improved to 4-0 on the season and Ryan Wolfe earned his second save after throwing three solid innings of relief.

The Panthers were first to strike in the nightcap. Michael Demma got things started with a double to left, followed by a Ryan McChesney single. Hinkle then snuck one down the right field line to score Demma and McChesney crossed home when Scheffer sacrificed one out to left. Hinkle was the last to score in the inning, hit in by JD Davidson who chopped a ball over to short to get on safely.

Florida Southern answered in the top of the third with two runs of their own on a pair of knocks to close the gap on the Panthers. Chris Fox, though, pushed Tech’s lead back up to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth with a slow chopper to short that scored Scheffer who also had an infield single in the inning. McChesney extended the Panther advantage even farther in the next frame with a two-run blast to right that also brought in Demma.

The sixth inning would bring an all-important seventh run for Tech as Demma came through once again, tripling deep to left center to send Fox in who singled to get on. That run wound up being the difference as the Mocs rallied to put three on the board in the bottom half of the frame to close within two and then Kelvin Clark scored an unearned run in the seventh to make it 7-6. Thankfully for the Panther faithful in the stands, closer Brandon Lindquist got the final FSC batter to ground out to second to end the threat and send Florida Tech home with a win.

Starter Dylan Wolchik earned his third win of the season (3-0), allowing five runs on as many hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Demma and Scheffer were both 3-for-3 for the game with an RBI apiece.

The Panthers return to Melbourne now to start a six-game home stand next week, beginning with Ohio Valley University on Tuesday, March 9. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Andy Seminick-Les Hall Field.