Fire Baseball Starts SUN Play Strong with Sweep of Sand Sharks

LAKELAND, Fla.- The No. 3 Southeastern University Fire baseball team made a statement in the first two contests of their Sun Conference-opening series versus the University of South Carolina Beaufort Sand Sharks, sweeping the Friday doubleheader. The Fire blanked the Sand Sharks 5-0 in game one before dominating the second contest 12-2 in eight innings.
 
GAME ONE:
 
SEU junior left-handed pitcher Robb Adams tossed his second-straight complete game shutout, this one a nine-inning feat where Adams conceded five hits, walked just two, and struck out nine.
 
"The competitiveness for our guys started on the mound," shared SEU head coach Adrian Dinkel. "Our pitching gave our offense a chance to get moving forward and carry momentum over into game two."
 
Adams built solid rhythm early on the mound, sitting down seven-straight Sand Sharks from the top of the first through the top of the third. With runners on base, USCB hitters were 1-12 with eight strikeouts at the plate versus Adams.
 
Thomas Broyles got the Fire on the board in the bottom of the second via an RBI-single to right-center that scored Clayton Keyes.
 
SEU deposited the remainder of their runs in the bottom of the third, plating four runs on five hits. Senior catcher Luis Cabrera got the inning started with an RBI-double to right that scored Fuentes. Keyes then singled home Garrett Sheffield to grow the Fire advantage to 4-0. Isaac Nunez capped off the productive inning for SEU with a two-RBI triple down the right field line that scored Stephen Cullen and Keyes.
 
GAME TWO:
 
The Fire bats erupted for 12 runs on 15 hits, with eight different players registering a base knock.
 
Senior right-handed starter Drew Gillespie was electric for a second-straight start, earning the win after six innings of work, where he allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits and walked just one while striking out eight.
 
"My game plan was to just keep going at them," commented Gillespie. "We you have an offense that can put 10 plus runs up like that you have to remind yourself that you don't have to be perfect, you just have to get the bats back in your offense's hands and get quick innings."
 
Holding a 2-0 lead entering the bottom of the fifth, SEU compiled its most productive frame of offense on the day, scoring seven runs on seven hits. Nunez highlighted the monster frame with a three-run home run to left field that put the Fire ahead 8-0. Later in the frame, Abdel Guadalupe moved into sole possession of third in the SEU career home run ranks, belting his 31^st career long ball, a solo shot to grow the SEU advantage to 9-0.
 
USCB scored its lone runs of the day in the top of the sixth, plating two runs on an error and a fielder's choice.
 
Gary Lora smashed his team-best eighth home run of the season, to give the Fire a 10-2 lead.
 
Graduate right-handed pitcher Eston Stull had as an efficient relief appearance as you can for the Fire, tossing two scoreless frames where he struck out all six batters he faced.
 
The Fire look to earn the series sweep tomorrow, as they host the Sand Sharks for the series finale at 12:00 p.m.