ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. –
Mike O'Reilly (3-1) tossed eight-plus innings and fanned a season-high nine batters to help Flagler College defeat Nova Southeastern University 6-4 in a non-conference baseball game Friday night at Drysdale Field.
Flagler evened its record at 5-5 while Nova Southeastern fell to .500 at 6-6.
O'Reilly retired 22 of 25 batters after allowing a solo home run in the first. He tossed 110 pitches, allowed six hits and four runs. He did not walk a batter. O'Reilly retired 11 batters on fly outs.
Trailing 2-1 in the fifth, the Saints were able to even the score on a wild pitch. Flagler had runners on the corners with two outs when Nova Southeastern starter Alex Mateo (1-2) bounced a pitch past the catcher allowing
Lorenzo Butler to score.
The Saints chased Mateo, the Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Week, in the sixth.
Nick Oberg drew a lead-off walk and
Frankie Sagarese was hit by a pitch while trying to sacrifice Oberg to second. Mateo was lifted after the hit batter.
Cameron Churchill came in, but
Josh Pagliei laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt just up the third base line to allow both runners to move up. But
Bryce Evans hit a slow tapper back to the mound and Churchill flipped the ball home to put out Oberg trying to score from third. However,
Kolin McMillen ripped a 2-0 pitch into left field to score Sagarese to give the Saints the lead for good, 3-2.
Flagler added three more runs in the eighth, which proved to be valuable. Butler blasted a triple to right field which almost cleared the bases. Two runs scored, but
Cole Ondrejka was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first base.
The Sharks made it interesting in the ninth when Brandon Gomez hit his second home run of the night, this time a two-run shot, to get Nova Southeastern back in the game at 6-4. That hit chased O'Reilly from the game but
Jeremy Graf came in to close the door for his second save of the season. He fanned two and allowed one hit.
Igor Baez went 4-for-5 with two doubles and he scored a run. Evans and Oberg each hit a double.
Mateo went five-plus innings and allowed six hits and three runs. He walked four and struck out four more.
Gomez went 2-for-4 with the two home runs and three runs batted in. Michael Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a triple and he scored a run.
The same two teams meet tomorrow (Feb. 27) in a doubleheader at noon at Drysdale Field.
