ST. AUGUSTINE – Flagler College pounded out 34 hits and scored 25 runs to sweep a Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader against Armstrong State University Saturday afternoon at Drysdale Field. The Saints won the opener 12-4 and completed the sweep with a 13-9 victory in game two.
Flagler extended its winning streak to four games and improved to 22-14 overall and 10-11 in the Peach Belt. Armstrong State fell to 15-22 overall and 6-18 in conference play.
In the opener, with the Saints already leading 1-0,
Dylan Jones led off the bottom of the third with a home run, his first of the season. Then
Kolin McMillen followed with a single, stole second, took third on a fly out and scored on a booted grounder by Armstrong's shortstop to give Flagler a 3-0 lead.
Flagler added two more in the fifth.
Igor Baez hit a solo home run and
Nick Oberg doubled home
Bryce Evans who had walked and stole second base.
Michael Maiocco (6-1) picked up the win for the Saints. He started and tossed eight innings, scattered eight hits, allowed three runs and struck out five batters.
MacLain Larson finished off the ninth.
All eight Flagler batters in the line-up had at least one hit as the Saints racked up a total of 17 hits. McMillen led the way with three singles and he scored two runs. Evans went belted two home runs, had four runs batted in and three runs scored. Oberg hit a solo shot in the seventh.
JT Phillips (4-4) tossed 4.2 innings and surrendered eight hits and five runs. The PBC's strikeout leader tallied six.
Zack Goble led the Pirates by going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and he scored a run. Jerad Curry collected three singles.
The second game proved to be a slugfest. The Pirates plated four runs in the top of the first inning, but were only able to score two more runs over the next six innings.
The Saints were able to answer the Pirates' outburst with four runs of their own in the home half of the first. Armstrong added two more runs in the second and Flagler got one of those runs back in the bottom half.
Trailing 6-5 going into the bottom of the third, the Saints got a quick jolt from Evans who hit his third home run in the doubleheader with a lead-off shot to right field to tie the game. A walk to Oberg chased Armstrong starter Aaron Bentley (0-2) from the game. Tyler Green came on in relief, but after striking out the first batter he faced, Green walked the next two hitters. Oberg would then steal third and
Jason Moore took second base when the pitch went to the backstop. Jones ripped a single up the middle to score both runs and Flagler took its first lead, 8-6.
The Saints added three more runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh for insurance.
Luke Cooksey (4-0) came in to relieve starter
Dustin Dye in the first inning and picked up the win. He tossed 4.1 innings, scattered three hits, allowed two runs, walked two and fanned six. Flagler used five different pitchers.
Jones paced the 17-hit attack for the Saints with three singles, four RBI and he scored a run.
Jabe Molinaro collected three singles, scored two runs and he drove in another.
James Jean hit a two-run blast in the bottom of the first.
Berry Aldridge went 5-for-5 with a double, four RBI and two runs scored for the Pirates. Ryan Patterson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and he scored two runs.
Bentley was the first of five Pirate pitchers and he took the loss on the hill. He pitched two-plus innings and allowed eight hits and seven runs.
Flagler visits in-state rival Florida Tech on Tuesday (April 12) at 6 p.m. down in Melbourne.
