ST. AUGUSTINE – No. 16 (
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Top 30) Flagler College plated two runs in the eighth and held on in the ninth to down Florida Southern College 3-1 in a non-conference baseball game Wednesday evening at Drysdale Field.
Flagler improved to 14-2 overall while Florida Southern fell to 7-8.
The Saints broke a scoreless tie in seventh, started by
Todd Juliano's leadoff single which was served out to the right-center field gap.
Bryce Evans bunted Juliano to second and then he took third on a ground out.
Nick Oberg stroked a single to left-center to plate Juliano.
Craig Savage came on in relief of starter Ben Richardson (1-3) for the Moccasins in the eighth.
Lorenzo Butler led off with a single up the middle, stole second and then took third on a wild pitch. After a fly out, a walk and a strike out, Butler was able to cross home on a wild pitch by Savage. Juliano followed with a double too score
Igor Baez, who had walked, from second base, to give the Saints a 3-0 lead.
Michael Hanke, Flagler's seventh pitcher of the night, had to wiggle out of trouble in the ninth inning. Jhalan Jackson greeted Hanke with a single and went to third on a base hit by Dominic Brugnoni. Shawn Sanders followed with a single to left and the Mocs trailed 3-1 with runners at first and second with one out. But Hanke settled in and struck out a pinch hitter and then got the last batter to ground out to earn his third save of the season.
Nathaniel Abel (2-0) tossed two scoreless innings, allowed one hit, walked two and struck out one batter.
Juliano went 3-for-4 with a double, one run batted in and he scored a run. Oberg went 2-for-4 with a double and one RBI while
Kolin McMillen singled twice. Butler also singled twice and he scored a run.
Richardson tossed seven innings and he scattered nine hits, allowed one run and fanned seven.
Jackson singled twice and scored a run while Sanders singled twice and drove in a run.
Flagler will now ready itself for a big Peach Belt Conference weekend series against No. 6 University of North Carolina Pembroke. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday (March 7) at 1 p.m.