LEESBURG, Fla. (Baseball) – No. 20 Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) baseball played No. 14 St. Johns River State College (SJRSC) in a three-game Sun-Lakes Conference series over the weekend. The Vikings took two of three from the Lakehawks taking back the top spot in conference standing.
Game One – Lake-Sumter 7, SJRSC 11
The Vikings took a two-run lead in the top of the first and added four more to the board in the third for a 6-0 lead early in the game.
The Lakehawks put some runs on the board in the fifth inning after Luke Bentley and Ryan Jenkins led off with a pair of singles followed by a walk from Elvin Figueroa to load up the bases.
Tad Brooks stepped up with a double to score Bentley and Jenkins. Brooks now in scoring position with Figueroa, Eli Thurmond came next with a single to score two more runs.
SJRSC extended their lead 7-4 in the top of the seventh with a solo homerun.
The Lakehawks loaded the bases again in the bottom of the eighth. A single to right from Jacob Delano scored two.
Then, another single from Andrew Merchant scored the third run of the inning for the Lakehawks, tying the game at 7-7 headed to the top of the ninth.
One big swing from the Vikings took their lead back 11-7 in the top of the seventh inning. Lake-Sumter was unable to rally back in the bottom half of the ninth.
Trey Clinton recorded the loss on the mound with 3.0 innings pitched, moving to 2-2 on the season. He allowed two runs on two hits with two strikeouts.
Game Two – Lake-Sumter 7, SJRSC 4
The Lakehawks took a big lead in the top of the third. The first run of the inning came after an infield single from Andrew Merchant to score Bentley from third base.
With Merchant and Jenkins on, Figueroa sent his seventh homerun of the season out of the park. Then, Ean Gimson followed Figueroa's lead with a two-run homerun to right center field.
Lake-Sumter added another run to the board in the sixth before the Vikings scored four in the bottom half of the frame. The Lakehawk defense held the score at 7-4 to take game two over SJRSC.
Sophomore Preston James recorded the win on the mound with 5.1 innings pitched, improving to a 3-4 record. He allowed four runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts.
Gregory Bori entered the game in relief, tossing the final 1.2 innings. He held the Vikings scoreless with just one hit helping the Lakehawks record the win.
Game Three – Lake-Sumter 1, SJRSC 5
The Vikings took the series with the 5-1 win in game three.
The Lakehawks took the lead 1-0 in the top of the first inning after loading the bases. A balk called on the Vikings' starting pitcher gave Jenkins a free trip home.
SJRSC took the lead back 2-1 in the bottom half of the first. Then, a leadoff walk in the top of the third led to a wild pitch extending their lead 3-1.
The Vikings added two more to the board in the top of the seventh with a leadoff single followed by back-to-back doubles.
The Lakehawks were held at just one run on four hits in game three, recording their second loss of the series.
In six meetings this season between SRJRSC and Lake-Sumter, the Vikings took the win in four of those games.
Starting pitcher Larson McMaster recorded the loss with 5.0 innings pitched. He allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out four.
The Lakehawks improved to 25-20-1 overall, 13-10 in Sun-Lakes Conference play. Currently in conference standing, Lake-Sumter ranks third with two conference series left of the regular season.
Up next for the Lakehawks
Lakehawk Baseball will play non-conference opponent Santa Fe College on Wednesday, Apr. 17 at The Hawks Nest at 3:00 p.m.
Livestream video and stats will be available to those who cannot attend.
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