BOCA RATON, Fla. – Lynn University's fifth-ranked baseball team overcame a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the eighth but could not lock down the victory, falling to No. 26 Florida Tech 5-3 in the series finale on Saturday afternoon. Alex DeBellis went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in. The Fighting Knights move to 23-6 overall and 7-2 in the Sunshine State Conference.
For the third straight game the Blue & White spotted Florida Tech (18-11, 3-6 SSC) a run in the first inning. Neither team was able to generate much offense from there on out as FIT's Scott Ward and Lynn's Daniel Patrick were able to keep hitters from both benches off balance.
It took until the eighth for the Panthers to put runners in scoring position, loading the bases with no outs. An error at home allowed Florida Tech to extend its lead but Bill Mendek came on in relief of Patrick and stranded the remaining three runners on base. Patrick tossed seven innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits with three strikeouts.
The Fighting Knights roared back in the home half with consecutive base hits by Ryan Carmona and Michael Stemle. A change in pitchers did little to improve Florida Tech's outlook as a wild pitch put the tying run on second base. Enrique Perez cut the deficit in half with a RBI groundout and Alex Freedman followed with a walk and stolen base. DeBellis then lined a 2-0 fastball over the second baseman's head to put Lynn ahead 3-2.
Florida Tech appeared to be sunk with two quick outs on Mendek but back-to-back singles from Ray Maggi and pinch hitter Andrew Calderone forced head coach Rudy Garbalosa to the bullpen. Unfortunately for Lynn, Andrew Melchor surrendered two base hits to put the Panthers ahead 5-3.
The Fighting Knights won their third consecutive SSC series after sweeping Rollins in the conference opener and taking two out of three from both Florida Southern and Florida Tech.
Lynn returns to the diamond on Tuesday, March 25, at 3 p.m. when it hosts St. Thomas. Fans can watch the game live at LynnFightingKnights.com and receive in-game updates by following @LUKnights on Twitter and Instagram.
