Lakehawks Win 16 Inning Marathon Game

Leesburg, Fla. – Extra Innings was the theme of this past week with the Lake-Sumter State College baseball team playing two games into additional frames.

Last Thursday, the Lakehawks took on Indian River State College. After LSSC jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, a five run fifth put IRSC in front. The Pioneers followed that up with a six run sixth inning and would eventually take the game, 13-7. Johziel Serrano was 4 for 5 on the day with a double and three RBIs. Brody Rubenstein added a solo home run as well. Jake Janata was tagged with the loss going 5.1 innings while allowing four earned runs.

Lake-Sumter hit the road for their next contest, heading down to New Port Richey to take on Pasco-Hernando State College. A pitcher's duel if you've ever seen one between starters Cameron Recny and the Bobcat's Kyle Khachadourian. Neither would factor into the final decision. Recny was pulled in the seventh after giving up one run on four hits while striking out eight. Tied 1-1 after nine innings, neither team was able to bring a run around in the 10^th. Kobie Leonard and Rubenstein came around to score on a single by Robbie Scott in the top of the 11^th. The Bobcats came back to score three runs in the bottom half of the inning to steal the victory. Jarrett Backus was the pitcher of record for LSSC taking the loss.

The two teams then swapped locations the next day with PHSC coming to Leesburg. Pasco-Hernando was able to shut down the Lakehawks bats allowing two runs on three hits in the game. The Lakehawks found themselves on the wrong end of a 9-2 final score.

Nine innings of baseball is difficult. Extra innings is increasingly difficult. Sixteen innings is unheard of, but that's exactly what happened when Lake-Sumter took on Eastern Florida State Sunday. Knotted up at 6-6 through nine innings of play, that's when it gets crazy. Neither team was able to bring a run around for the next six innings. The scoring drought lasted until Leonard knocked in Backus with a single through the right side in the 16^th to put his team up 7-6. Bryant Heston, who entered the game in relief back in the eighth, tossed the equivalent of a complete game shutout. Heston went the next nine innings without giving up a run while striking out three. He earned the win and is now 2-1 on the year.

Monday looked like a hit-a-thon for the Lakehawks with the team scoring 18 runs on 17 hits against CCBC Catonsville. Steven Beach and Scott both collected three hit performances with seven RBI's between the two. Rubenstein fell a home run short of the cycle going 3 for 5, but scored four times in the game. Mickey Skole launched his first collegiate home run in the team's big victory. Andrew Miele earned his first win on the bump in 2019 in the process.

Lake-Sumter moves to 7-9-1 on the year and will take on Hillsborough Community College Wednesday with first pitch slated for 3 pm.