LAKELAND, Fla.—A two-run double helped Southeastern rally back from down a run in the eighth to come away with a 6-4 win over Ave Maria in the first of a four-game Sun Conference series on Thursday.
The visiting Gyrenes (17-17, 4-9 SUN) regained the lead in the top of the seventh on a balk with a runner on third. Southeastern was unable to respond in the bottom of the inning after a one out walk, but
Olvis Genao worked a 1-2-3 eighth, highlighted by a double play which he started on a ground ball back to him.
Genao picked up his second win of the season, working 2.1 innings in relief with two strikeouts and allowed one run on four hits.
In the eighth, a patient approach at the plate paid off with a walk by
Isaac Nunez and a hit by pitch to Landry Wilkerson. Following a strikeout,
Luis Gonzalez laced a ball to the center field wall to score both runners and give the Fire the lead. A two-out error allowed
Edward Surinach, Gonzalez's courtesy runner, to score.
Bryce McDonald came on in the top of the ninth after a one out single to get the final two outs and pick up his first save.
Ave Maria scored first with a two-out single up the middle in the first, but the Fire answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning by
David Castillo. An RBI single by
Chayce Bryant in the third gave SEU (33-5, 12-1 SUN) its first lead of the night. Fransesco Barbieri's two-run homer in the fifth put the visitors back on top until
Isaac Nunez tied the game with a single to center field in the bottom of the inning.
Despite tying the game on Nunez's ball to center, two outs followed the tying run scoring when Castillo was tagged out at the plate and Bryant at third to end the inning.
Ramsey David struck out a season-best 10 hitters over six innings of work, but did not factor into the decision.
Eight different players registered a hit for Southeastern.
The two teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 3 p.m.
