Eagles rule: Tallahassee flies past Chatt Valley 15-5

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 1, 2014) – For the second consecutive day, NJCAA No. 16/FCSAA No. 4 Tallahassee Community College got the best of NJCAA No. 5 Chattahoochee Valley (Ala.) Community College, defeating the Pirates 15-5 in eight innings on Saturday afternoon at Eagle Field. 

Tallahassee (16-5) will go for the series sweep when the teams meet at 1 p.m. Sunday. 

The Eagles scored the final eight runs on Saturday, including seven runs in the eighth inning to end the game via the mercy rule. 

Heading to the seventh, the outcome was still in doubt. Chattahoochee Valley, once down 4-0 and 6-2, trailed 7-5 and had the tying runs on base, but Logan Elliot, who pitched four innings in relief of starter Cody Alling, got the Eagles out of the inning unscathed. 

Tallahassee almost blew the game open in the bottom half, loading the bases with just one out, but Pirates reliever Kevin Moore did an equally good job minimizing the damage for the visitors from Phenix City, Ala. 

Cole Johnson's single to shallow left scored Christian Dicks but that turned out to be the Eagles' lone run of the inning. Johnny Blue Craig popped out to first and Ryne Willard struck out to end the inning and keep the score 8-5. 

As it turned out, that inning only delayed the inevitable. Tallahassee sent ten men to the plate in the eighth and scored seven runs, the final three as a result of the Pirates' lone error of the game. 

Shortstop John Holland's wild throw at first cleared the bases, scoring Geremy Walton, Johnson and Robert Henderson to give the Eagles the 15-5 win. 

Tallahassee racked up 14 hits on Saturday, led by Cody Borup, who was 3-for-3 with three RBI. His two-run homer in the bottom of the third – his third of the season – answered Chattahoochee Valley's two runs in the top half and gave the Eagles a 6-2 lead. 

D.J. McKnight was 2-for-5 with two RBI, Willard was 2-for-5 and Bobby Rice was 2-for-4. 

As they did in Friday's 11-0 victory, the Eagles jumped on Chattahoochee Valley early on Saturday. 

Tallahassee batted around in the first, scoring four runs on four hits. A fly out-turned double off the bat of Willard set the tables for the big inning. He hit a towering fly ball to left center but Pirates left fielder Sam Knight lost the ball in the sun and it dropped harmlessly for a two-base hit. 

Rather than one on and nobody out, Tallahassee had two runners in scoring position, and Rice followed with a walk to load the bases. 

McKnight singled to score Craig and Willard for the first two runs of the inning. Quincy Nieporte's sac-fly plated Rice, and Dicks' ground out to first brought McKnight home with the fourth run of the inning. 

Alling scattered eight hits and allowed four runs, all earned, over 3.2 innings. Elliot, who earned the victory, allowed only four hits and one walk and struck out six in 4.0 innings. 

Hunter Mitchell, the first of four pitchers for Chattahoochee Valley, took the loss, as the teams combined for 317 pitches. 

Fans can follow Sunday's game with live stats and a live game blog at www.TCCeagles.com.