Panthers Defenseless Against Lions, lose 8-3
MELBOURNE, FL- The Florida Tech Panthers suffered their fourth consecutive Sunshine State Conference lose today, losing to visiting Saint Leo 8-3. The
Panthers could only manage to accumulate five hits today, and no Panther had two or more hits.
The game was controlled by terrific pitching by the visiting starter, senior Ronald Lowe (New Port Richey, FL). He went the distance for the Lions,
pitching nine innings and allowing five hits and three runs while striking out nine Panthers and not allowing a single walk. He improves to 6-0 on the
season.
Both teams were held scoreless until the third inning, when the visitors put their first three runs on the board. With runners on first and third senior
Rhett Teller (Bealeton, VA) blasted a three-run shot over the left-centerfield wall.
Tech answered back in the bottom of the inning. Freshman Eric Trillas (Hialeah, FL) led of the inning with a double down the leftfield line. Two batters
later senior Bryan Stanton (Merritt Island, FL) laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, advancing Trillas to third. He would later score on a single up the
middle by junior Steve Condotta (Mississauga, Canada).
The Lions continued scoring in the fourth, fifth, and sixth inning. They posted two runs in the fourth inning on two consecutive hits, one a double, to put
two runners in scoring position. Junior Matt Prowant (Dade City, FL) smacked an RBI-single to second base. With runners on the corner and one out junior
Sean VanGuilder (Tallahassee, FL) hit into an RBI fielder’s choice. In the fifth the visitors scored twice more, building a 7-1 lead.
They capped their scoring in the sixth inning, when Rhett Teller connected for an RBI double to right field, scoring senior Eric Mesa (Miami, FL) from
second base.
Tech attempted a late-inning comeback in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs and a runner on second senior Randy Pitts (Melbourne, FL) doubled to right
center, scoring the Panther on the base paths. The next batter, senior Dustin Dangalan (Port Orange, FL), singled up the middle, driving in Pitts from
second. The game ended with the visitors on top, 8-3.
Junior Jay Crouse (Naples, FL) picked up his third loss of the year, bringing him to 3-3. He pitched 4.2 innings and allowed eight hits, seven runs, and
three walks while striking out six. The Panther bullpen combined for 4.1 innings and allowed four hits, one run, and two walks while striking out two.
The Panthers (18-11, 3-4) will face Saint Leo (21-9, 2-2) again tomorrow in a double header. The first game is scheduled to start at 12:00 pm.
