ST. AUGUSTINE – No. 6 (
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Top 30) Flagler College raced out to a 7-0 lead early, but had to hold on for a 13-8 victory of Augusta University in a Peach Belt Conference baseball game Sunday afternoon at Drysdale Field.
Flagler improved to 22-4 overall and 14-1 in the Peach Belt. Augusta leaves with an 8-18 overall mark and a 6-12 record in league play.
Ethan Crout paced Flagler's 18-hit attack as he hit for the cycle going 5-for-6 with two runs scored and four runs batted in. He hit a double in the first, a single in the fourth, a home run in the fifth and a triple in the eighth. The last Flagler player to hit for the cycle was Tyler Vanover on April 27, 2013 against Florida Memorial University.
Dillon Reed belted a two-run home run in the first inning to get the Saints on the board.
Aaron Anderson hit an RBI double in the second and
Sean Lawlor smacked a two-run homer to left-center in the third to increase the lead to 5-0.
After the Jaguars scored a run in the top of the sixth, the Saints took advantage of an Augusta miscue and Crout blasted a three-run home run.
Flagler held an 11-3 lead going into the top of the eighth. Reliever
Kyle Hansen came in to pitch and was greeted by four straight singles and then Zach Goble hit a grand slam to tighten the score to 11-8.
The Saints scored two insurance runs in the home-half of the eighth, thanks to an RBI single by
Nikolas Dague followed by a triple down the left field line by Crout.
Nick Martinez (3-0) was awarded the win in relief. He tossed 2 2/3 innings, allowed two hits and two runs. He struck out two batters.
Louis Pugliese started and last 4 1/3 innings. He scatters six hits, allowed one run, walked three and fanned four. Hansen and
Jett Walsh each worked an inning in relief.
Anderson finished the game 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and on RBI. Lawlor went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBI. Reed drove in three runs and scored two more. Dague scored three runs.
Charlie Cochran (0-2) took the loss after working one-plus innings. He surrendered five hits and allowed three runs. Casey Lenoch, Aron Chick and Cody Pugh worked in relief.
Goble went 3-for-4 with a double and two home runs as well as collecting five RBI. Devin Bilardello collected three singles, scored a run and drove in another. Tent Maddox singled three rimes and scored a run.
Flagler will rest for one day before hosting Palm Beach Atlantic University on Tuesday (March 20) at 6 p.m. at Drysdale Field.