BOCA RATON, Fla. – A two-out RBI double from Mike Gonzalez in the bottom of the eighth gave Lynn University's eighth-ranked baseball team a 3-2 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday afternoon. Gonzalez went 2-for-4 at the plate and was joined by Thomas Kain and Michael Stemle with multi-hit afternoons. AJ Falleta improved to 4-0 in relief to help the Fighting Knights move to 26-7 overall.
Down 2-1 in the fifth, Kain was able to knot the game at two with his second base hit of the day. The junior third baseman smacked a single through the hole in the left side of the infield, scoring Enrique Perez from second.
Three innings later the Blue & White looked to end the game. Matt Ackerman drew a two-out walk in the eighth, giving Lynn runners on first and second. Palm Beach Atlantic (13-17-1) head coach Ken Bottenfield walked to the mound for a conference but decided to stick with his starter Tyler Scheuer. Ahead in the count 3-1, Gonzalez ripped a hanging off-speed pitch inside the first base line, scoring pinch runner Cory Gibson for the winning run.
The Sailfish had plenty of opportunities in the first three innings against Bobby Kruse, stranding six runners in the first three innings of play. Each frame, though, Kruse was able to navigate through trouble to keep PBA off the scoreboard. He allowed four hits and issued two walks with three strikeouts in three innings of work.
Stemle used his speed to generate the first run of the game in the third. The junior from Lake Worth, Fla., stole his team-leading 18th base in an attempt at third and was able to trot home when catcher Spencer Castro's throw went into left field.
Kyle Butcher surrendered the tying run in the fourth. The senior southpaw fanned two of the first three batters he faced until a week ground ball found its way up the middle to score Castro. Palm Beach Atlantic was able to take a 2-1 lead in the fifth after Castro drove home another run with a single to right field. Luckily for Lynn, Castro was caught between first and second on the throw to the plate and was tagged out in a rundown.
Falleta tossed three scoreless innings of relief and struck out Ryan Gerber looking to end the seventh and the Sailfish threatening with two runners on base. Andrew Melchor came on in the ninth to pitch a 1-2-3 inning, with one strikeout, for his fifth save.
Lynn is back in action this weekend when it hosts Barry for a three-game series. The first game will be on Friday, April 4, at 3 p.m. Fans can watch the action live at LynnFightingKnights.com and receive in-game updates by following @LUKnights on Twitter and Instagram.
