LAKELAND, Fla. — No. 10 Southeastern split Friday's doubleheader with No. 11 St. Thomas at Ted A. Broer Stadium, using a big offensive performance to take game one before dropping the nightcap.
The Fire (24-9, 8-3 Sun) controlled the opener behind a 14-hit attack, earning a 12–6 victory before the Bobcats responded with a 6–2 win in game two to even the day.
Game 1: Southeastern 12, St. Thomas 6
Southeastern wasted little time setting the tone in the first game. After St. Thomas plated a run in the opening inning, the Fire answered immediately, as
Cooper Ciesielski delivered a two-run single to give SEU a 2–1 lead. That advantage only grew from there.
The Fire added three runs in the third, highlighted again by Ciesielski's two-run double, before responding to a St. Thomas push in the fourth with steady offense of their own.
Braden Bartholomae extended the lead with a two-run single in the fifth, and Southeastern broke the game open in the sixth.
Cort Pryor came through with a two-run pinch-hit single before
Jace Essig capped the inning with a three-run homer to left, part of a five-run frame that pushed the lead to 12–4 and put the game out of reach.
Essig finished with three RBIs and three runs scored, while Ciesielski drove in four to lead the lineup.
Brock McMullen added three hits, and Bartholomae chipped in a pair of RBIs. On the mound,
Austin Peddycoart earned the win with six innings of work, striking out seven.
St. Thomas added two runs in the seventh, but Southeastern secured the 12–6 victory to open the twin bill.
Game 2: St. Thomas 6, Southeastern 2
In game two, the momentum shifted.
St. Thomas struck in the first inning on a solo home run from Daytan Biegel and leaned on a dominant outing from starter Juan Fernandez, who limited Southeastern to four hits while striking out 10 over a complete game.
The Fire struggled to generate offense through the middle innings, as Fernandez kept hitters off balance and prevented any sustained threats.
The Bobcats broke the game open in the sixth, scoring four runs behind a two-run single from Luis Morera and a two-run homer from Alan Nava to extend the lead to 5–0. An additional run in the eighth made it 6–0.
Southeastern finally broke through in the ninth, with Ciesielski driving in a run on a double before Bartholomae followed with an RBI groundout, but the late push was not enough as St. Thomas closed out the 6–2 win.
Cade Parry recorded a multi-hit game in the nightcap, while
Byler Reither took the loss after allowing five runs over six innings.
With the split, Southeastern will look to even the four-game series in the finale on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Ted A. Broer Stadium.
