WINTER HAVEN, Fla.- In the seventh meeting this season between the two programs, the No. 1 seed Southeastern University Fire baseball team defeated the No. 4 seed USCB Sand Sharks 10-5 in their first game of the NAIA Baseball Opening Round Lakeland Bracket.
Southeastern was extremely efficient offensively throughout the contest, plating a run in each of the first six innings.
The Fire jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, thanks to an RBI-groundout by
Colton Onstott, RBI-double by
Pedro Castellano, and an RBI-single from
Luis Cabrera.
USCB retaliated in the top of the second with two runs of their own to trim the Fire advantage to 3-2. Senior
Nick Bottari singled home
Anthony Carrera in the bottom of the frame to put SEU up 4-2 on the Sand Sharks.
In the bottom of the fourth, senior designated hitter
Colton Onstott drilled his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field to open things up for Southeastern to the tune of a 7-2 lead.
Senior right-handed pitcher
Christian Camacho posted eight strong innings on the mound for SEU, allowing three runs (one earned) on eight hits, walking four, and striking out eight Sand Sharks. Camacho had a stretch of eight-straight USCB hitters retired from the top of the fourth to the top of the sixth. He improved to 10-1 on the season with the winning decision.
Bottari finished the game a perfect 3-3 at the plate with an RBI and also reached on a walk and a hit by pitch.
Senior infielder
Pedro Castellano was 3-5 at the plate with three runs batted in, pushing his season RBI total to 84 on the year.
USCB was able to make things interesting in the top of the ninth, plating two runs to make it a five-run game. However, senior right-handed pitcher Brendan Heiss was ultimately able to make a play at the plate to end the game.
The Fire move on to the winner's bracket to face No. 2 seed Middle Georgia State University tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m. The Sand Sharks take on the winner of the Fisher/Bryan game tomorrow evening at 6:30 p.m.
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