LAKELAND, Fla. -- No. 11 Southeastern split Friday's doubleheader with New College of Florida at Ted A. Broer Stadium, dropping the opener before responding with a strong offensive showing in game two. With the split, the Fire hold a 2-1 lead in the four-game series heading into Saturday's finale.
Game 1 – New College 8, Southeastern 2
Southeastern controlled the early portions of the opener, breaking through in the third inning when
Nathanial Hopkins launched a solo home run to give the Fire a 1-0 lead. The pitching staff kept New College off balance through the first few innings, but the Banyans found an answer in the fourth, tying the game on an RBI single after putting multiple runners on base.
The Fire briefly regained momentum in the bottom half of the inning when Hopkins delivered again with an RBI single, scoring
Cooper Ciesielski—who had doubled earlier in the frame—to put Southeastern back in front 2-1. However, New College responded in the fifth inning with a two-run home run from Fernando Espinal, flipping the lead to 3-2.
New College added to its advantage in the sixth, taking advantage of defensive miscues to plate an unearned run and extend the lead to 4-2. Southeastern had chances to respond, recording seven hits in the game, but was limited to just one walk and struggled to string together timely offense against Dalton Hill.
The game turned decisively in the seventh inning. After loading the bases with a walk and two free passes, New College capitalized with a grand slam from Rylan Jomisko, pushing the lead to 8-2 and putting the game out of reach. Hill finished the complete-game effort allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out seven. Hopkins led the Fire at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, accounting for both Southeastern runs.
Game 2 – Southeastern 10, New College 6
The Fire responded with urgency in the second game, putting together one of their more complete offensive performances of the series. Southeastern struck quickly in the first inning, collecting five hits and scoring three runs.
Cooper Ciesielski delivered a two-RBI single to open the scoring, and
Charlie Collins followed with an RBI knock as the Fire took advantage of early opportunities to build a 3-0 lead.
Southeastern added another run in the second inning when
Dayne Wimberly doubled to drive in
Paul Wittmann, extending the lead to 4-0. New College responded with a three-run third inning, using a combination of walks, a sacrifice fly, and a two-run double to cut the deficit to 4-3.
The Fire answered immediately in the bottom half of the third, capitalizing on a defensive error to push the lead back to 5-3. From there, Southeastern continued to apply steady pressure. In the fifth inning, Collins delivered a solo home run to left field, and Wittmann followed with an RBI single to stretch the advantage to 7-3.
New College trimmed the deficit to 7-4 in the sixth, but Southeastern's offense remained consistent. Collins added another RBI in the seventh after Ciesielski doubled and moved into scoring position, extending the lead to 8-4.
The Fire created further separation in the eighth inning, loading the bases before
Jace Essig drove a two-run double into the gap, pushing the lead to 10-4. New College scored twice in the ninth on a sacrifice fly and groundout, but Southeastern closed out the 10-6 win.
Southeastern finished with 14 hits in the game, with
Charlie Collins leading the way at 3-for-4 with three RBIs, including his home run. Ciesielski and Essig each drove in two runs, while Wimberly and
Braden Bartholomae added two hits apiece as part of a balanced lineup effort. On the mound,
Blake Albritton provided stability in relief, tossing 6.2 innings while allowing three runs and helping the Fire regain control after the third-inning rally.
Southeastern improves to 34-15 overall and 18-9 in Sun Conference play and will look to secure the series on Saturday, when the teams conclude the four-game set with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.
