LAKELAND, Fla.- A productive fourth frame of offensive and a solid relief effort propelled the No. 4 Southeastern University Fire over the Mount Vernon Nazarene University Cougars 7-4 in a mid-week non-conference bout.
The Fire struck early with a three-run first. Senior utility man
Abdel Guadalupe got the scoring started for SEU with a two-RBI single to left field that scored
Cristian Martin and
Zach Cornell. Senior utility man
Colton Onstott drove Guadalupe home later in the frame with a single to left to put Southeastern ahead 3-0.
The Cougars responded with all four of their runs in the top of the second, plating them on four hits to take a 4-3 lead over the Fire.
SEU knotted things back up 4-4 in the bottom of the second when senior infielder
Pedro Castellano knocked in
Raymond Gonzalez with an RBI-single to right field.
The Fire received a boost out of the bullpen from senior right-handed pitcher
Marc Soto, who tossed six innings of one-hit shutout relief for the Fire. The Coral Springs native retired 11-straight Cougars from the top of the fourth through the top of the seventh.
"I just had confidence that my defense was going to back me up and make a play on any ball put in play," shared Soto. "Pitching is easy when you have a defense like that. I just threw strikes and let them work."
Soto struck out a total of four batters on the way to earning his first winning decision of the season.
The Fire earned the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fourth, as
Carter Bridge was able to cross the plate while MVNU turned a 4-6-3 double play.
Senior outfielder
Zach Cornell tacked on some insurance runs, as he belted a two-run home run to deep left center to vault the Fire ahead 7-4. The homer was Cornell's seventh of the season and Southeastern's 50
th as a collective unit through just 15 games played.
Junior righty
Bryce Mulcahy came in and closed the door on the Cougars in the top of the ninth, striking out two of the three hitters he faced to earn his first save of the season.
The Fire return to Ted A. Broer Stadium this weekend for a Sun Conference series versus the Ave Maria University Gyrenes. Game one of the series is set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. eastern.
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