Livingston, Ala.- Lynn University's baseball season came to an end on Saturday night in an 8-5 loss to Florida Tech (38-12) in the NCAA South Region Tournament. The Fighting Knights finish 2015 35-15-1 overall after reaching the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time in program history.

FIT jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Grant McKown singled to left field to score Reid Neal. A two-out doubles by Thomas Kain in the bottom half of the frame gave Blue & White its first opportunity of the game but Kyle Carter went down on strikes to end the inning.

The Panthers tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth inning on a pair of hits before Max Watt was able to escape the jam with runners on second and third.

An RBI single up the middle in the top of the fifth gave Florida Tech a 4-0 lead. Michael Stemle hit a solo home run over the left field fence giving the Fighting Knights their first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth for Lynn to trail 4-1.

A four-run seventh inning for the Blue & White gave the Fighting Knights the lead. Back-to-back singles by Carter and Alex DeBellis started the Fighting Knights rally. Matt Tietz reached first on an error by the Panthers third baseman on a perfect sacrifice bunt to load the bases and score Carter. Ben Schwanberg drove in the first run with an RBI groundout to second base, scoring DeBellis.

Stemle drew a walk and Albert Lefran hit a bases loaded double to the gap in left centerfield to plate Tietz tying the game 4-all. Florida Tech intentionally walked Matt Ackerman and Jerrod Leinhauser would come on to pitch in relief of Willcoxon to face John Borup. A single to left field by the Fighting Knights right fielder sent Stemle home as Lynn took a 5-4 lead.

Four runs by the Panthers in the top of the eight gave FIT the lead once again, a lead they would hold through the final out. Jimmy O'Neill made quick work of Szpik for the first out and struck out David Wilson but the Panther reached on a passed ball. A double by Wortman as the next batter plated the game-tying run and two batters later McKown singled down the left field line for a 6-5 lead.

Bill Mendek came on with two ours and runners on first and second but after walking the first batter he allowed a Tyler Doughty single through the right side that send two more FIT players across the plate.

Lynn went down in order in the bottom half of the eighth and Mendek escaped the top of the ninth quickly on a fly out, strikeout and runner interference.

The Fighting Knights were down to their last three outs when Stemle lead off with a five-pitch walk. Lefran moved the runner over on a groundout. A single down the third base line by Borup put runners on the corners for Kain but the Fighting Knights power-hitting third baseman was sent down on strikes to end the game.

Borup was the only member of the Fighting Knights squad to record a multi-hit game going 2-for-5 at the plate while seven of his teammates all tallied a hit. O'Neill was credited with the loss throwing three innings of relief allowing four unearned runs on a pair of hits while striking out two.

Watt threw 4.2 innings allowing four runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and Mendek struck out two in his 1.1 innings of work.

The Fighting Knights finish 35-15-1 overall and graduate 11 seniors from this season's squad.

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