Eagles fend off Pirates to take PC series

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 18, 2014) – NJCAA No. 4/FCSAA No. 1 Tallahassee Community College won a back-and-forth affair with Pensacola State College on Tuesday afternoon, defeating the Pirates 9-6 at Eagle Field. 

With the win, Tallahassee clinched the series victory against the Pirates, two games to one, improved to 30-6 overall and will take some momentum to Marianna, Fla., on Wednesday for the series opener against Panhandle Conference co-leader Chipola College. 

Chipola defeated Gulf Coast State College, 6-5, on Tuesday to win that series by the same two to one margin. 

Despite its 11-19 record, Pensacola State gave Tallahassee everything it could ask for on Tuesday, erasing the Eagles' 3-0 lead after an inning with four unanswered runs and later tying the game at 5-all with a run in the top of the sixth. 

Tallahassee finally took the lead for good with two runs in its half of the sixth. 

Ryne Willard, who homered earlier in the game, doubled home Jonathan Burkett with the go-ahead run and later scored what proved to be the game-winning run  on Bobby Rice's two-out single to center. 

After Pensacola State plated an unearned run in the seventh, the Eagles answered with a run in the bottom half and scored its final run in the eighth when Quincy Nieporte doubled home Geremy Walton. 

Nieporte was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI. Willard was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI and Rice was 2-for-3 with a run scored and one driven in. 

Tallahassee jumped on Pensacola State starter Daniel Lewis for three runs in the first, but the lead was short-lived. The Pirates returned the favor in the second, scoring three runs of their own to knock out Eagle starter Shaun Hebert and force head coach Mike McLeod to make an early call to his bullpen. 

Collin Strall came on with one out in the second and gave the Eagles five strong innings. He scattered eight hits and allowed three runs, but struck out five and exited with one out in the seventh, leading 7-5. 

Logan Elliot inherited runners at first and second and eventually gave up a two-out single that plated a run charged to Strall, but he closed the door after that and officially pitched 2.2 scoreless innings to lock down the save and help Strall (3-0) earn the win. 

Wednesday's game at Chipola begins at 6 p.m. eastern.