Box Score LAKELAND, FLA.– It took 18 hits and 9 runs, but the Fire were up to the task as they took the final game of the series from South Carolina-Beaufort, 9-6. With the win, Southeastern takes the Sun Conference series, winning two of the three games. Jordan Gard's gritty six innings were backed up by the offense, as they scored in every inning except the second and eighth.
The Sandsharks (27-17, 13-11 TSC) plated a run in the top half of the first, and the Fire (32-16, 15-9 TSC) were able to tie it up in the bottom half with Martin's homerun over the right-center field wall, his 12th of the season.
Jordan Gard started the game on the mound for the Fire, going six innings, giving up five hits, five earned runs, four walks, and two strikeouts. Mike Ruppenthal came in relief and was only able to get two outs before being lifted for Cole Yoder. Yoder (2-4) worked the Fire out of a seventh inning jam, and was lifted in the eighth. Chase Hunt was able to get the final five outs and earn his first save of the year.
It was a game of back and forth in the third and fourth innings as well; USCB scored two in the top of the third and one in the top of the fourth, and SEU answered right back with the exact same numbers. In the third, the Fire started off the inning with a double by Josiel Colon, who stole second base. He was batted in by Luis Diaz with a double off of the left field wall. An RBI single off the bat of Stetson McCollin made it a 3-3 game.
With the Fire down a run in the bottom of the fourth, Hunter Simpson led off with a double, the first of his three hits on the day. Hunter Bonner ran for Simpson and was driven in with a sacrifice fly by Sean Anderson.
It wasn't until the bottom of the fifth when the Fire took their first lead of the game. McCollin reached on an error and later scored on a wild pitch. They tacked on another in the sixth when McCollin drove in Diaz, after he singled and stole a base.
The Fire put the game out of reach in the seventh. An infield hit by Simpson started the rally, and Dallas Ducote came in as a courtesy-runner. A TJ Glessner double put two runners in scoring position with no outs; Anderson drove in Ducote with a single, and Martin roped a double to deep left-center for two more RBIs.
Martin finished 3-5 with a run scored, a homer, and 3 RBI. Colon and Simpson went 3-5 as well, and Diaz finished 2-4 with a double and two stolen bases. McCollin was 2-4 with two RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. Glessner and Aaron Sheaks each recorded two hits in the contest as well.
The Fire are back in action Tuesday, as they'll host NCAA DII St. Leo. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Broer Stadium.
