Northwest Florida Powers Past Tallahassee State Behind Explosive Offense

NICEVILLE, Fla. — Northwest Florida State delivered another dominant performance on Saturday, overpowering Tallahassee State 11-3 at home behind a strong offensive outing and solid pitching. Once again, Qrey Lott played a pivotal role at the plate, driving in four runs, including a towering three-run homer in the second inning and a bases-loaded walk in the fifth.

The Raiders wasted no time seizing control, with Henry Allen launching a three-run home run to center field in the first inning to put the Raiders on the board. The momentum continued in the second as Lott's deep blast extended the lead to 6-0. Matthew Keller kept the bats hot in the third, lacing an RBI double to push the advantage to seven runs.

After a scoreless fourth, the Eagles managed to plate three runs in the fifth, capitalizing on a pair of hits and a defensive miscue. However, the Raiders quickly extinguished any hopes of a comeback with a two-run homer from Hutson Guinn in the sixth, restoring their comfortable lead. Preston Murphy sealed the run-rule victory in the eighth with a hard ground ball up the middle, scoring Angel Santiago from second.

Thomas Conrad took the mound for Northwest Florida State and delivered a solid outing, working five innings while allowing just one earned run on four hits. The right-hander struck out six and walked three, keeping the Eagles' offense in check. In relief, Joey Wittig provided a steady presence, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings. The righty allowed just two hits, struck out three, and didn't issue a walk, effectively shutting down any late-game rally attempts from Tallahassee State.

For the Eagles, starter Harbersting Abreu struggled to contain the Raiders' bats, giving up seven runs on eight hits over three innings. Despite striking out six, he couldn't prevent Northwest Florida from building an insurmountable lead.

The Raiders' offense was relentless, racking up 16 hits in the victory. Guinn and Tristan Bittle led the charge with three-hit performances, while Allen, Keller, and David Alvarez each collected multiple hits. The team also demonstrated great patience at the plate, drawing seven walks, with Preston Murphy leading the way with two. Aggressive baserunning was another key factor, as the Raiders swiped three stolen bases. Defensively, Northwest Florida State turned a crucial double play and played error-free baseball.

Tallahassee State's Andrew Duncan was a bright spot for the Eagles, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate. Defensively, the Eagles remained sharp, committing no errors, with Gabe Del Fuoco handling 11 chances in the field.

With this victory, Northwest Florida State improves to 24-7 overall and 6-2 in Panhandle Conference play. The team has now won 15 of its last 17 games and continues to dominate offensively, scoring double-digit runs in five of its last nine contests.

Up Next

The team will shift it's focus to a crucial four-game series against No. 12 Gulf Coast State, hosting the first two matchups on Tuesday and Thursday before traveling to Panama City for the final two games on Saturday starting at 1:00 p.m. (Doubleheader).