Both teams combined for over thirty runs and thirty hits, but it was the Seminole State College Raiders winning the high scoring affair, 16-15 over the College of Central Florida Patriots at Goodlett Field on Thursday afternoon.
CF scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to break a 2-2 tie game and take what seemed like a comfortable lead. I the inning, Victor Martinez singled home a run, Anthony Diaz was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, which was t hen followed by a bases clearing double by Jacob McKenzie. The final run of the fifth inning scored on a Dawson Harman single. The lead was short lived as the Raiders answered with a big inning of their own. A two-run home run by Raider's catcher, Anthony Saleeba made it an 8-5 game, but that was only the beginning for the Raiders in the inning. An RBI double by Cameron King, a wild pitch, an RBI single from Erwin Cabassa, and a Juan Orozco sacrifice fly gave the Raiders a 9-8 advantage.
The resilient Patriots got the lead back in the sixth inning when a Diaz single tied the game and a couple of Raiders errors accounted for three unearned runs and the Pats led 12-9. But once again, leads of any kind were hard to hold in this game as the Raiders responded for three runs to tie the game at twelve runs a piece in the top of the seventh inning. After holding the Pats to zero runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Seminole State surged for four more runs in the top of the eighth inning. Alejandro Abreut doubled to start the inning, followed by a bunt single from Saleeba. A groundout to the infield scored the go ahead run and then a single by King gave the Raiders a 14-12 lead. The Raiders tacked on two more runs on a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly and the Pats found themselves down 16-12.
The Patriots had some fight left in them as they responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth inning. Tanner Swank and Dawson Harman singled in front of a Logan Chapman double which scored Swank. Brett House promptly doubled off of the centerfield fence to make it a 16-15 game. Central Florida relief pitcher, Arturo Ormaza set down the Raiders in order in the ninth inning to give CF a chance to win this back-and-forth game in the last inning. That didn't transpire as the Raiders closer, Chris Zupito struck out Armando Guirola with the tying run on base to earn his fourth save of the season and give his Raiders the thrilling 16-15 win.
In the game, the powerful Patriots bats did not connect on a single home run, but did have four doubles. Leading hitters included; Martinez (2 hits, RBI), Diaz (2 hits, 2 RBI), McKenzie (2 hits, 4 RBI), Harman (3 hits, 2 RBI), Guirola (3 RBI), Marcus Bradshaw (3 hits), and House (2 RBI).
Patriots' relief pitcher, Cooper Ryan (2-1) took the loss in relief, while Raiders' relief pitcher, Garrett Caropreso (2-1) earned the win for the Raiders. The #1 FCSAA ranked College of Central Florida falls to 18-5, 6-4 in the Citrus Conference, while #10 ranked Seminole Sate improves to 16-8, 6-4 in the Citrus Conference.
The same two teams will conclude the three-game Citrus Conference series in Sanford, Florida on Saturday at Seminole State College. First game begins at 11:00 AM.