#TCCBaseball falls in PC opener

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 12, 2016) – NJCAA Region 8 No. 3 Tallahassee Community College suffered a 7-5 loss to Pensacola State College on Saturday in the Panhandle Conference opener for both teams. 

The three-game series will continue in Pensacola at 5 p.m. eastern on Monday. 

Trailing 7-4, Kyle Cavanaugh's ninth-inning double scored Ethan Crout and left the tying runs in scoring position with just one out. After a pop out by Myron Mebane, Deyvid Silva drew a two-out walk to load the bases, but Kyle Taddeo lined out to left field to end the game, allowing Luke Dykes to pick up the save and preserve the win for Jackson Smith (3-3). 

The Eagles stranded 11 base runners on Saturday. 

Smith pitched six innings, and the Pirates received big games offensively from Armond Upshaw (3-for-4, 3 R, 2 SB) and Miles Fore (4-for-5, R, 3 RBI). 

The Pirates jumped on Tallahassee starter Craig Olson for two runs and four hits in the top of the first. Fore singled home the first run of the game and Willie Carter singled home Upshaw, who had reached base on a single. 

Tallahassee answered in its first at-bat, scoring three runs, all with two outs. 

Mebane singled home Crout and Silva doubled down the left field line, scoring Zach Featherstone and Mebane. 

Just when it looked like a slugfest might ensue, Tallahassee managed only three hits over the next seven innings. Cavanaugh's third-inning double plated the Eagles' only other run prior to the ninth. 

Meanwhile, Pensacola State plated two more runs in the third to knock out Olson then scored single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to build a 7-4 lead. 

Onassis Matos homered off Nick Marchese (3-1) to lead off the sixth with what proved to be the winning run. 

Marchese took the loss, allowing two runs in 3.1 innings of work in relief of Olson. 

Both Crout and Cavanaugh went 3-for-5. Crout scored twice and Cavanaugh drove in two runs.