Box Score LAKELAND, FLA.– There are nights when ineffective bats and an effective pitcher make for a tough combination. Southeastern found themselves on the wrong side of one of those nights, as they fell to the Spring Arbor University Cougars, 5-3. SEU falls to 18-9 overall with the loss.
Brody Harris (1-0) of the Cougars (4-1) went the distance, throwing nine complete innings on 129 pitches, scattering eight hits, surrendering three runs (two earned), and punching out eight. Cole Yoder (1-3) pitched a gritty five innings, giving up eight hits, four runs (two earned), and striking out three.
Manny Matos pitches a clean sixth inning before making way for Chase Hunt. Hunt pitched the seventh and eighth innings, giving up a run. FT Corso pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
The Fire took a brief lead in the bottom of the first when Josiel Colon led off by reaching on an error. After a Luis Diaz double, Colon scored on an RBI groundout by Willi Martin. SAU struck back for four runs before the Fire were able to answer. That answer came in the bottom of the fifth.
Ricky DeArmas led off with a double off of the center field wall. Dallas Ducote's followed with his first hit of the year, a single to left field–he also stole a base. An infield hit by Diaz squeezed DeArmas across the plate to make it a 4-2 game. Martin followed with a laser down the left field line, easily scoring Diaz to make it a one-run game. That was the closest the Fire were going to get, however, as Harris shut them down for the rest of the game.
Diaz finished 2-4 with a double, RBI, and run scored; Cody Hoffner went 2-3 with a pair of doubles.
The Fire are back in action Wednesday evening, as they'll host the St. Francis Fighting Saints. First pitch is set for 6pm at Broer Stadium.
