#TCCBaseball: Eagles beat SCF to complete sweep

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (February 17, 2018) – For the second straight day, Tallahassee Community College rallied past State College Florida, defeating the Manatees, 6-5, on Saturday afternoon at Eagle Field. 

Tallahassee (7-6) moved a game above .500 with the win, picking up its third Region 8 Top 5 victory of the season. State College of Florida is now 10-5-1. 

Tallahassee won both games of the weekend series despite committing a total of ten errors and four on Saturday, including three in the top of the third that led to three unearned runs against starter Brandon Reitz. 

The Eagles got those runs back in the fourth then forged ahead with another three-run inning in the sixth. 

Cole Vann's two-run homer to right gave the Eagles a 5-3 lead. Mason Miller followed with a bunt single but ended up on third when third baseman C.J. Alexander's throw was high and wide at first. Following a pitching change, the Eagles put the safety squeeze on and Tucker Rayburn executed it to perfection. 

Rayburn laid the bunt down along the first base line to score Miller from third and reached base without a throw at first. Just like that, Tallahassee had a 6-3 lead. 

Reitz (2-1) went out for the eighth but was pulled after walking Anthony Gonnella on four pitches to start the inning. Gonnella eventually scored, the only earned run of the game against Reitz, who allowed only one hit and three walks while striking out eight in seven-plus innings. 

Billy Schopp replaced Reitz but was facing only his third batter when forced to leave with an apparent injury. The next man up was Alex Stobert, who came on to record the final out and the save in Friday's 8-5 win. 

Stobert got out of the inning without any further damage but did surrender a leadoff homer to Jaren Shelby in the ninth, pulling the Manatees within a run. 

Unfazed, Stobert struck out the next three batters to end the game, lock up his second save and cap a strong two-game set by the Eagles' pitching staff. 

Reitz, Schopp and Stobert combined for 11 strikeouts on Saturday after Stobert teamed up with Justin Sorokowski, Jake Kinney and Logan Lacey for 13 strikeouts on Friday. 

Vann led the Eagles' 11-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Luke Ard was 2-for-3 with a run scored. 

Tallahassee will travel to Thomasville, Ga., on Monday for a doubleheader against the Thomas University JV beginning at 3 p.m.