BABSON PARK, Fla. — No. 11 Southeastern saw a late comeback fall just short on Saturday, dropping a 10-9 decision to No. 12 Webber International in the fourth and final game of the series as the teams settled for a split.
Southeastern finished with 12 hits and erased multiple deficits, but Webber's eighth-inning run proved to be the difference in a back-and-forth contest.
The Fire struck first in the opening inning when
Cooper Ciesielski delivered an RBI single, but the lead was brief. Webber responded with a five-run bottom of the first, highlighted by a three-run home run from Will Gisriel, to take early control at 5-1.
SEU chipped away in the second, scoring three runs behind RBI efforts from
Nathanial Hopkins,
Armani Cozza, and
Cade Parry to pull within one. However, Webber continued to answer, extending its lead to 9-6 through five innings.
Southeastern mounted its most significant push late.
Victor Esquivel Perez tied the game in the fifth with a two-RBI single, and the Fire completed the comeback in the seventh as
Paul Wittmann drove in a run and Hopkins added a sacrifice fly to even the score at 9-9.
The tie held until the bottom of the eighth when Webber capitalized on a two-out opportunity, using a single from Gisriel to bring home the eventual game-winning run.
Cade Parry led Southeastern at the plate, going 3-for-5 with an RBI, while Wittmann added two hits, two runs, and an RBI. Esquivel Perez drove in a pair, and Cozza finished with two hits and two runs scored.
On the mound,
Blake Albritton provided stability out of the bullpen with 3.2 innings, allowing two runs while striking out five.
Parker Lambeth took the loss despite allowing just one run over the final three innings.
Southeastern had a chance in the ninth, putting a runner in scoring position, but was unable to deliver the tying hit.
With the result, Southeastern falls three games behind Webber International in the Sun Conference standings with one week remaining in the regular season. The Fire will close out the regular season at home, hosting New College for a three-game series April 24–26 in Lakeland.
