GREENWOOD, S.C. –
John Fiorenza capped off a big weekend as he went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and he had four runs batted in as Flagler College defeated Lander University 11-7 in a Peach Belt Conference baseball game Sunday afternoon at Stephen B. Dolny Stadium.
Today's win marked a milestone for head coach Dave Barnett. He is the seventh active NCAA Division II coach to record 1,000 or more wins in their career.
"Thirty-five years of tremendous players and coaches had everything to do with this milestone," said Barnett. "Flagler College has really blessed me."
Coach Barnett's milestone achievement will be recognized with a ceremony before Flagler's final home game of the regular season on May 1 vs. Columbus State University. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
Barnett joins an exclusive club amongst baseball coaches with PBC ties to surpass that number. Gary Gilmore was the head coach at USC Aiken from 1990-95, and is currently in his 27
th season as the head coach at Coastal Carolina University. He has 1,270 victories. Joe Roberts, the longtime coach at Armstrong State University (1980-13) finished with 1,314 wins in 34 years.
Flagler took the series and improved to 18-20 overall and 11-7 in the Peach Belt. Lander has now lost three-of-its-last-four games and dropped to 19-19 overall and 9-9 in conference play.
The Saints scored at least one run in each inning, except the second and ninth innings. They erased a 2-1 deficit in the third, thanks to a bases clearing double by Fiorenza.
Mason Gray hit a two-run double in the fourth to help Flagler increase its lead to 6-2.
Jaiden Warde's RBI-double in the sixth gave the Saints an 8-2 lead.
The Bearcats climbed back into the game as Connor Droze hit a two-run home run in the sixth and hit an RBI-double in Lander's three-run seventh to pull to within three, 10-7.
Gage Voorhees (5-1) allowed six earned runs and scattered 10 hits in seven innings of work to get the win. He got 11 batters to ground out and six more to fly out.
Ryan Franklin tossed two scoreless innings in relief.
Matthew Burke went 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI and he scored a pair of runs.
Tyler Keith collected a pair of singles and scored a run.
Bryce Jackson (1-3) allowed three earned runs on three hits in three innings. He struck out six batters.
Droze was a single shy of hitting for the cycle as he went 3-for-5, scored two runs and he knocked in three more.
Flagler is back in action on Tuesday at Daytona Beach, Florida to face Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at 6 p.m.
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