LAKELAND, Fla.—Top-ranked Southeastern had to overcome a four-run deficit to stay unbeaten Thursday night in the opening game of a three-game series with No. 17 Oklahoma Wesleyan.
Gary Lora's one-out double to right center field scored
Isaac Nunez in the bottom of the 10
th to give the Fire a 6-5 win on their fifth hit of the game.
The Fire went without a hit until
Brandon Fields led off the bottom of the sixth with a double off the top of the center field wall.
Nick Winkelmeyer followed suit with a double down the right field line to score pinch runner
Nicholas Block and get the Fire on the board. Nunez got SEU within a run with a two-run homer to center in the next at bat.
David Mata came out of the Fire bullpen and worked 3.1 shutout innings, coaxing seven groundouts to keep his team within striking distance.
In the eighth, Lora hit a sacrifice fly to score pinch runner
Adrian Mella and tie the game at four. With Nunez on third, a fly ball to center field to try to take the lead turned into a double play with Nunez being thrown out at home.
Drenis Ozuna picked up his fourth hit of the game in the top of the ninth with an RBI double to left center and put the Eagles back up 5-4.
Chayce Bryant led off the bottom of the ninth with a towering home run to center field to tie things back up.
Reese Wissinger worked a clean 10
th, allowing just a two-out single by Tommy Davis for his third hit of the game, but was left stranded at second when Wissinger struck out his second batter of the inning and earned his second win of the season.
The second error of the game by OKWU (9-1) occurred with one out in the 10
th and allowed Nunez to reach first. A walk to
Adonys Herrera set up Lora's game-winning at bat.
Five different players recorded the five Fire hits.
The two teams will meet again on Friday at 6 p.m.
