LAKELAND, Fla. — No. 11 Southeastern opened its final regular-season series with a 9-5 win over New College on Thursday night at Ted A. Broer Stadium, using a steady offensive approach and one decisive inning to create separation. The Fire improved to 33-14 overall and 17-8 in Sun Conference play, while the Mighty Banyans dropped to 21-25 and 7-18 in the Sun.
SEU set the tone early, manufacturing runs in each of the first, second, and fourth innings to build a 3-1 lead.
Cooper Ciesielski delivered the game's first run with an RBI single in the opening frame, and the Fire capitalized on a New College error in the second to add an unearned run. In the fourth,
Nathanial Hopkins doubled home another run, continuing what turned into a strong night at the plate for the SEU shortstop, who finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and reached base multiple times.
The game turned decisively in the bottom of the sixth inning. Holding a 3-1 advantage, Southeastern broke things open with a five-run frame, sending 10 batters to the plate.
Jace Essig delivered a two-RBI single to push the lead to 5-1, followed shortly by
Cade Parry's two-run double that stretched the margin even further.
Victor Esquivel Perez later worked a bases-loaded walk to cap the inning, giving SEU an 8-1 cushion and full control of the contest.
On the mound,
Peyten Czekalewski provided a strong start, allowing just one run on three hits across five innings while striking out eight. He worked efficiently through the New College lineup and kept traffic limited, setting up the Fire offense to build its lead. The bullpen was tested in the seventh inning, when New College responded with four runs. A passed ball allowed an inning to continue, leading to a three-run home run from Rylan Jomisko that trimmed the deficit to 8-5, with all three runs ruled unearned.
Southeastern answered in the bottom of the eighth to halt any momentum.
Charlie Collins led off the inning with a solo home run to center field, restoring a four-run advantage at 9-5. From there, the Fire bullpen settled in, with
Michael Geissler and
Micah Earwood combining to close out the final two innings and secure the win.
Offensively, Southeastern totaled 11 hits and drew seven walks, with Essig and Parry each driving in two runs. Collins added a pair of hits to go along with his home run, while Ciesielski also recorded a multi-hit performance. New College was led by Jomisko, who finished with two hits and three RBI, while Patrick Fink and Michael Magliocca each homered in the loss.
The two teams continue the four-game series on Friday with a doubleheader beginning at 10 a.m. at Ted A. Broer Stadium. The series marks the final regular-season action for Southeastern as the Fire look to carry momentum into the postseason.
