Pensacola State sends Tallahassee to fourth straight loss

PENSACOLA, Fla. (April 9, 2014) – Pensacola State College snapped a ten-game Panhandle Conference losing streak and sent FCSAA No. 7/NJCAA No. 17 Tallahassee Community College (33-13) to its fourth straight loss, defeating the Eagles, 6-5, on Wednesday evening in game one of a brief two-game series. 

Pensacola State and Tallahassee have split its four meetings this season and head back to Eagle Field for the rubber game at 5 p.m. Friday. 

Pensacola State's last PC win came on March 15, also against Tallahassee by the same 6-5 score. Tallahassee, meanwhile, has now gone two weeks since its last victory. 

The Eagles defeated Northwest Florida State College on March 27, 6-5, then went on an eight-day layoff. Since coming out of the bye, Tallahassee is winless in four tries. 

The latest loss dropped the Eagles (5-8) into fourth place in the PC standings, one half game behind idle Northwest Florida State (5-7). With Chipola College and Gulf Coast State College tied atop the league standings at 10-3 and comfortably ahead of the rest of the pack, Tallahassee and Northwest Florida State appear headed for a neck-and-neck race for the PC's third and final postseason berth. Pensacola State (2-11) is 3.5 games back of Northwest Florida State. 

After tying the game at 5-all with two outs in the top of the ninth, Tallahassee watched the Pirates celebrate the walk-off victory in the bottom half. 

Early on, things were on the up-and-up for the visitors. 

Tallahassee staked ace lefty Victor Cole to a 3-1 lead following Jonathan Burkett's solo homer in the fourth, but Pensacola State got one run back in its half of the fourth and grabbed a 4-3 lead an inning later. 

Hunter Hall homered to lead off the fifth and Logan Collier's ground out scored Marcus Morrisette with the go-ahead run. 

The Eagles battled back not once but twice over the final three innings. 

Ryne Willard tripled to deep right-center, scoring Quincy Nieporte, to tie the game at 4-all in the top of the seventh. 

Pensacola State answered the Eagles' run with one of its own in the bottom of the seventh and took the 5-4 to the ninth but Tallahassee had one more rally in the tank. 

With two down and a runner on first, Willard singled to keep the game alive. The next batter, Cody Borup, delivered a pinch-hit single to plate Geremy Walton with the tying run. 

The Eagles had the go-ahead run 90 feet away but pinch hitter Dillon Jayne grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Both teams had 11 hits – Nieporte (3-for-4) and Willard (3-for-5) had three hits each for Tallahassee. Ben Emery paced the Pirates, going 3-for-4. 

Collin Strall, who pitched the final 1.2 innings, took the loss for Tallahassee. Cole, who started, pitched 6.2 innings and struck out nine.