The Lee University baseball team helped put a perfect ending to Military Appreciation Day by posting a pair of victories over visiting University of West Florida on Saturday afternoon and complete a three-game sweep of the Argonauts. With the victory the Flames improved to 27-21 overall and 17-12 in GSC play. They will be the No. 5 seed in the GSC tournament which begins next weekend in Oxford, Alabama.
Game 2 – Lee 6, West Florida 5
After trailing 5-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning in the seven-inning contest, the Flames rallied back to tie the contest at five and send the battle into an extra inning.
With one out in the seventh Thomas Zazzaro drew a walk and Brandon Daniels singled to put runners on first and second. Dylan Standifer, Lee's leading RBI man, stepped to the plate and immediately drilled a double to left-center field. Zazzaro scored and Daniels came streaking around third base, sliding under the throw to the plate to tie the contest at five.
Playing international rules in the top of the eighth inning, the Argonauts were allowed to place a runner on second base. An attempt to bunt the runner to third failed. A strikeout and a lineout followed to end an excellent pitching performance by reliever Sean Casteel.
In the bottom of the inning Cam Suto was placed on second base. He went to third on a fielder's choice and scored the winning run on a short fly ball to left field by Joshua Perez. It was the second straight night the Flames had won in walk-off style.
Daniels had three hits and scored twice in the Lee win. Standifer collected three RBI with a single and double. Suto also knocked in a run with a one-base hit, but it was the short fly ball to left and the daring base-running by Suto that produced the game winner.
Jack Nedrow started and pitched five innings for the Flames. He allowed five hits, four earned runs, fanning three and issuing no free passes. Hunter Lane came on for 0.1 and gave up a hit and a walk. Tim Gooden had a strong effort with 1.1 innings. He gave up a hit, no earned runs, walked one and struck out one. Casteel (3-0) 1.1 innings earned the win. He struck out three batters.
Hunter Lucas was charged with the pitching loss. Trent Jeffcoat had three hits, scored two runs and collected an RBI. Jadon Fryman also had two hits and an RBI for the losers.
Game 1 – Lee 4, West Florida 1
The Flames wasted no time in jumping on top 1-0. Zazzaro singled and advanced to second on a balk call. He scored on an RBI single by Standifer.
The Argonauts tied the contest at one in the top of the sixth inning, but the Flames bounced right back to move on top 3-1 in the bottom of the frame. Standifer continued his fine hitting with a double down the left-field line and scored on a double by Isaac Quinones, who ripped his shot down the right-field line. Suto sent Quinones to third on a single and a sacrifice fly by Matthew Batts plated Quinones with the second run of the inning.
Lee added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Zazzaro walked and Standifer picked up his third hit of the game and advanced Zazzaro to second. Jared Demkowicz had a one-base hit that pushed Zazzaro across the plate for the final run of the contest.
Standifer was a perfect 3-of-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Demkowicz had two hits while Quinones also lit up the scoresheet with a two-base knock, a run scored, an RBI and a free pass. All totaled, the Flames had nine hits.
Miguel Alba pitched 5.2 innings and allowed just two hits and one earned run. He walked four and struck out three. Sam Fulton (5-2) entered for 3.1 innings and gave up three hits and no runs. He fanned two and issued one free pass in picking up the pitching win.
Tyler Dowdy (4-5) was the West Florida starter. He hurled 5.1 innings and gave up six hits and three earned runs while being charged with the loss. Sam Brown worked 1.1 innings and allowed three hits and an earned run while Hunter Lucas came on for 1.1 innings.
The Argonauts only got five hits off the two Lee pitchers but Preston Moore had three of those five hits. Dean Hotz also hit safely while Chris Johnson doubled and scored his team's only run.
