BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Lynn University baseball team opened Sunshine State Conference play in strong fashion on Friday afternoon, riding an explosive offensive performance and dominant relief pitching to a 9-5 victory over Florida Tech. The Fighting Knights (11-13, 2-5 SSC) jumped out to an early six-run lead, weathered a Panthers comeback, and pulled away late behind a balanced 14-hit attack and four shutout innings from Zackary Gonzalez to secure the series-opening win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starter Andrew Ravelo got things going for the Fighting Knights immediately, pitching a one-two-three inning in the top of the first
- Justin Lopez delivered a lead-off single in the bottom of half of the frame but a Panthers double play ball eliminated the early Blue and White opportunity
- Lynn quickly loaded the bases in the second with a flurry of base knocks from Jason Lashley, Joel Tapia-Melo and Amaris Harrison
- Cole Beck delivered the first blow with a sacrifice fly to score Lashley and put the Fighting Knights up 1-0
- Jackson Tyer knocked in two more with hard-hit single to give Lynn a 3-0 cushion before Lopez added on with an RBI hit of his own, 4-0
- Scout Simpson kicked off the bottom of the third with a double down the foul line and was later cashed in with a line drive up the middle from Tapia-Melo, 5-0
- In the fourth, Lynn loaded the bases with a trio of walks before Bryant Zayas tacked on an RBI with a groundout, 6-0
- Florida Tech answered back, striking for five runs in the fifth on a grand slam and a sacrifice fly to cut Lynn's lead to one, 6-5
- A Panther wild pitch in the fifth built Lynn's cushion back to two, 7-5
- Tyer added on late in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Harrison from third on a base knock to give Lynn an 8-5 edge
- Lashley delivered late with an extra base hit to score Zayas and put Lynn up by four heading into the ninth, 9-5
- Zackary Gonzalez slammed the door in the ninth, retiring Florida Tech in order with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to seal the 9-5 victory for the Fighting Knights
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- The Fighting Knights totaled 9 runs on 14 hits, marking one of their most productive SSC offensive outings of the season
- Lopez led the charge at the top of the order, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a walk
- Lashley delivered a big day at the plate, finishing 3-for-5 with an RBI
- Tapia-Melo reached base four times, going 2-for-3 with a RBI, two runs scored and two walks
- Harrison added two hits, two runs scored and a stolen base, continuing to spark the offense
- Tyer provided a major boost with two hits and a team-high three RBIs, while also scoring a run and swiping a base
- Zayas chipped in with an RBI and a run scored, while Scout Simpson added a double and reached base twice
- On the mound, Gonzalez was dominant in relief, earning the win after tossing four shutout innings with six strikeouts and no hits allowed
- The Lynn pitching staff combined for eight strikeouts, while the defense played a clean game with zero errors

UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights are set to close out the series against the Panthers with a Saturday doubleheader, kicking off at noon.