Eagles down Chipola, 11-2, to even series

MARIANNA, Fla. (March 20, 2013) – Tallahassee Community College evened its Panhandle Conference baseball series with Chipola College at a game apiece on Wednesday evening, claiming an 11-2 win over the host Indians. 

The victory was No. 30 on the season for Tallahassee (30-5), who improved to 4-1 in PC play. Chipola (23-12), who had the bye during the first round of PC games, is 1-1 in league play. 

The teams will play the rubber game of the three-game set back at Eagle Field at 5 p.m. Friday. 

Wednesday's game was a stark contrast to Monday's series opener, a game in which Chipola racked up 13 runs and 18 hits against six Tallahassee pitchers. 

A pair or lefties, Jared Stanley and Victor Cole, held Chipola to just five hits on Wednesday. The Indians scored their only runs in the fifth inning, after they were already down 5-0. 

Leading 6-2, Tallahassee put the game away with a five-run ninth inning. 

Anthony Torres led off the ninth with a walk, stole his way to third and scored on Trent Higginbothem's single. 

Higginbothem went 3-for-5 and drove in five runs. 

Tallahassee scored its final three runs in the ninth with two outs – singles by John Price, Jr. and James Abbatinozzi and a double from Matt Bahnick pushed the Eagles' lead to 11-2. 

Both Price, Jr. and Abbatinozzi went 2-for-4. Clay Fenwick added three hits. 

Higginbothem's first hit of the night, a first-inning single, scored Torres, who led off the game with a walk. His second hit, a three-run homer, capped a four-run fifth inning that extended the Eagles' lead to 5-0. 

Chipola got on the board in the fifth and knocked Stanley out of the game. 

Stanley hit leadoff hitter Luis Tunon then issued a one-out walk to Chase Rivett. Two batters later, both runners scored on Cameron Gibson's single. 

Cole (5-0) came on to record the final out of the inning and held the Indians scoreless over the final 4.1 innings to earn the victory. 

He allowed only three hits and struck out eight. 

Gibson and Bert Givens had two hits each for Chipola. 

NOTE: Any scheduling updates on Friday's game against Chipola will be posted to www.TCCeagles.com as they become available.