Box score
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. − A bases loaded walk to
Justin McKenna (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Allen D. Nease HS) in the bottom of the third inning proved to be the game winning run as Flagler College defeated top-ranked (Collegiate Baseball Division II Top 30) Florida Southern College 4-1 in a non-conference baseball game Wednesday night at Flagler Stadium.
Flagler improved to 17-11 overall while Florida Southern slipped to 24-4.
The last time Flagler defeated a No. 1-ranked team was May 13, 1993, at Jacksonville, in a 6-4 win over the University of North Florida in a NAIA District VII game.
With the Saints already holding a 1-0 lead,
Dagmar Pena (Jacksonville, Fla./U. of Tampa) ripped a one-out double to left field to get things started in the third. The next batter walks and then Florida Southern starter Tucker Pryor uncorked a wild pitch to move the runners to second and third. The next batter fanned, but
Nate Fudala (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin HS) was issued a four-pitch walk to load the bases. McKenna followed with a five-pitch walk to chase Pryor from the game and give Flagler a 2-0 lead.
Kelvin Clark got the Moccasins on the board with a lead-off home run in the sixth, but that would be all the offense Florida Southern would have on the night.
In the seventh, Fudala hit an RBI double and later scored on a wild pitch to add some insurance for the Saints.
Josh Kempa (Baltimore, Md./Dundalk CC) (1-1) tossed six innings, allowed three hits and one run to earn his first win as a Saint. He retired 14-of-the-first-17 batters he faced.
Tyler McKendree (Jacksonville, Fla./Bartram Trail HS) pitched a near flawless ninth inning to earn his fifth save of the season.
Will Percy (Colorado Springs, Colo./St. Mary's HS),
John Sgromolo (Fleming Island, Fla./Clay HS) and
Payne Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla./Stanton College Prep) each collected two singles.
Florida Southern, the Sunshine State Conference's second-best slugging team with a .539 percentage, was held to three singles.
Pryor (4-1) went two and two-thirds innings, allowed five hits, two runs, walked four, threw two wild pitches and hit a batter.
Flagler returns to Peach Belt Conference action on Friday (Mar. 26) at Georgia Southwestern State University at 6 p.m.
Flagler 4, Florida Southern 1 (03/24/10 at St. Augustine, FL)
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Florida Southern.... 000 001 000 - 1 3 2 (24-4)
Flagler............. 011 000 20X - 4 12 1 (17-11)
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Battery: Florida Southern - Tucker Pryor; Jake Guengerich(3); Patrick Szczerba(7); Daniel Tillman(8) and Zach Maggard. Flagler -
Josh Kempa;
Heath Storey(7);
Johnny Gaines(8);
Tyler McKendree(9) and
Payne Maddox.
Win-
Josh Kempa(1-1) Save-
Tyler McKendree(5) Loss-Tucker Pryor(4-1) T-2:40 A-83
2B FCB –
Jose Rohena;
Dagmar Pena;
Ollie Bertrand;
Nate Fudala.
HR FSB - Kelvin Clark (10).
Weather: 65; clear; wind: 10 mph cf-lf
Game notes:
Game delayed 1:36 due to scheduling conflict with umpires.
