BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Lynn University baseball team secured its first Sunshine State Conference series victory of the season on Saturday, earning a split against Florida Tech with a hard-fought 5-4 win in game two. After dropping the opener, the Fighting Knights responded with an explosive start and clutch pitching down the stretch, holding off a late Panthers rally to claim the series win at the Lynn Baseball Field
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game #1):
- Florida Tech threatened early in the first, loading the bases with two walks and a hit-by-pitch, but Lynn worked out of the jam with a strikeout from Ryan DiMaggio to keep the game scoreless
- Justin Lopez recorded Lynn's first hit of the day with a leadoff single in the bottom half, but the Fighting Knights were unable to capitalize
- Lynn broke through in a big way in the second, scoring three runs behind RBI production and defensive miscues by the Panthers to take a 3-0 lead
- Cole Beck drove in the first run on an error before a double play brought home another, and a second Florida Tech error allowed an unearned run to score
- Florida Tech answered in the third with an RBI single up the middle to cut the deficit to 3-1
- Both pitching staffs settled in over the next two innings, as Lynn held its two-run advantage through five
- The Panthers trimmed the lead to 3-2 in the sixth, capitalizing on a double and a Lynn throwing error to plate an unearned run
- Florida Tech evened the game in the seventh on a sacrifice fly, tying the contest at 3-3
- Lynn had a chance to respond in the bottom half, moving a runner to third, but could not push the go-ahead run across
- The Panthers broke the game open in the eighth, scoring four runs, three unearned, highlighted by a bases-clearing sequence following a Lynn error to take a 7-3 lead
- Florida Tech added an insurance run in the ninth on a solo home run to extend the advantage to 8-3
- Lynn was retired in order in the ninth as the Panthers closed out the series opener victory
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS (Game #1):
- Lopez led Lynn at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and accounting for half of the team's hits
- Jason Lashley and Joel Tapia-Melo each added a hit and scored a run, combining for two of Lynn's three runs on the day
- Beck recorded Lynn's lone RBI, driving in a run during the three-run second inning
- Amaris Harrison crossed the plate once and reached base twice after being hit by a pitch on two occasions
- As a team, the Fighting Knights were held to just four hits and did not draw a walk in the contest
- Lynn pitching struck out nine batters, led by Ryan DiMaggio with five punchouts across five innings of work
- DiMaggio allowed just one run on four hits over his outing, keeping Lynn in front through the early innings
- Allan Jorge added two strikeouts in relief across 1.1 innings, allowing just one unearned run

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HOW IT HAPPENED (Game #2):
- Lynn came out swinging in the bottom of the first as Justin Lopez led off with a double and later scored on an RBI single from Amaris Harrison to open the scoring
- Scout Simpson followed with a two-run home run before Jason Lashley went back-to-back with a solo shot, capping a four-run inning to give the Fighting Knights a 4-0 lead
- The Blue and White added on in the third as Cole Beck delivered a sacrifice fly to bring home Lashley and extend the lead to 5-0
- Florida Tech was held scoreless through the first four innings as Lynn pitching kept the Panthers off balance early
- The Panthers got on the board in the fifth, capitalizing on a pair of Lynn errors to plate a run and cut the deficit to 5-1
- Florida Tech surged back into the game in the sixth, stringing together four hits to plate three runs and cut Lynn's lead to 5-4
- Lynn threatened to respond in the bottom half as Beck singled and advanced into scoring position, but the Fighting Knights were unable to add insurance
- The Fighting Knights created a prime scoring opportunity in the seventh, loading the bases with one out, but Florida Tech escaped the jam with a pair of strikeouts to keep it a one-run game
- Lynn looked to add on in the eighth as Beck drew a walk and Lopez recorded his second hit of the day, but the Panthers worked out of trouble to stay within one
- The Fighting Knights shut the door in the ninth after three scoreless innings, retiring Florida Tech in order to secure the 5-4 victory
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS (Game #2):
- Lopez paced the offense with a 3-for-5 performance, including a double, a run scored and a stolen base at the top of the lineup
- Simpson delivered a big swing with a two-run home run, finishing with two RBI and a run scored
- Lashley also went deep, adding a solo home run while scoring twice in the victory
- Harrison reached base three times, going 1-for-1 with an RBI, two walks and a run scored
- Beck contributed with a hit and an RBI, including a sacrifice fly that proved to be a key insurance run
- Ivan Herrera added a hit and a sacrifice bunt, while also swiping a base to help generate offense
- As a team, Lynn totaled eight hits and worked seven walks, putting constant pressure on Florida Tech pitching
- Mason Tinsley earned the win on the mound, tossing 5.2 innings with six strikeouts while allowing four runs on seven hits
- Charlie Houd secured the save, delivering 3.1 shutout innings out of the bullpen without allowing a hit to close out the game
- The Fighting Knight pitching staff combined for seven strikeouts and limited Florida Tech to just seven hits overall
 
UP NEXT:
Lynn returns home for a single-game matchup with Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday, Mar. 24 at 3:00 pm.