LAKE WALES, Fla. – The Fire continued their early-season success on Wednesday night. Southeastern University combined late offense and another game of strong pitching for its third shutout of the year, 10-0, over Warner University.
Reece Wissinger held the Royals at bay with another top-notch outing on the mound, allowing only three hits over seven innings of work. Wissinger's gave the Fire offense time to put the needed run support on the scoreboard with three runs up in the top of the seventh and sealed it with six more in the ninth.
With the victory, SEU improved to 9-0 on the year. Fire pitching shut out their third opponent and held the sixth opponent in nine games to a run or less. The SEU offense left 13 men on base, but it put runners across home plate when it needed.
Wissinger ran his record to 3-0 with his seven frames of work where he struck out five. Grant Harvill and Andrew Hansen took care of the final two innings, one apiece, and gave up only one hit between them with two strikeouts.
At the plate, Charlie Collins led the 13-hit Fire attack with a 3-for-5 day, scoring two runs, driving in one and drawing a walk.
Peter Tassler, Alfonso Villalobos, and Connor Hicks each singled twice. Tassler drove in three, one each on a ground out, sac fly, and single. Villalobos scored once, drove in one and stole a base, while Hicks lined an RBI single to plate the first run of the seventh.
Myles White doubled, scored three times, drove in two, and walked twice in his first time hitting lead off. Tyler Hinkrikus singled in the first two teammates in the ninth on a single, while both James Strom and Jacob Gumieny rounded out the offense with a hit each.
SEU put runners on base early, but it was unable to score any with two left on base in each of the first three at bats.
After both teams were set down in order in the fourth inning, White led off the fifth by reaching on an error, and Collins singled. Tassler grounded out to second with one out and brought White in for a 1-0 lead.
In the seventh, White and Collins started things again with walks. Hicks doubled the lead with a single to right for the second time White scored. Tassler added a sac fly and Villalobos a run-scoring single to center for a 4-0 lead.
In the big six-run SEU ninth, Hinrikus lined a single to center and scored both Strom and Villalobos, who both reached on singles. White laced a two-run double and both Collins and Tassler completed the scoring with RBI singles.
Hansen retired the Royals in order in the home ninth and completed the shutout.
SEU has Thursday off before it hosts the University of St. Francis in a weekend series starting on Friday first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 4 p.m., with the teams meeting again at noon on Saturday.
