Baseball Opens Conference Play with Big Win

Leesburg, Fla. – The Lake-Sumter State College baseball team has put together an impressive five game win streak as of late, including a 12-4 win to open up Mid-Florida Conference play.

Jake Janata took the hill for the team's final contest before conference play began. Janata went five strong innings against Kalamazoo (MI) Valley CC. His team gave him run support from the beginning with a 6-2 lead going into the fifth. A combo of Andrew Miele, Matt Cobb, Parker Grahe and Bryant Heston came out of the bullpen to shut the Cougars down. The group of relievers allowed only three runners to reach base over the final four innings of play, securing the Lakehawks 7-3 victory. Brody Rubenstein, Mickey Skole and Steven Beach recorded two hits each in the win. Beach and Rubenstein both hit home runs while Robbie Scott added his 11^th stolen base of the season.

The Lakehawks opened Mid-Florida Conference play on the road with St. Johns River State College Saturday. The Vikings came into the game ranked seventh in the latest Region 8 Coaches Poll. After going up 3-0 in the first two innings, LSSC hit a bump in the road with SJR scoring four times in the bottom of the third to take their first lead of the ball game. Trailing by one, the Lakehawks blew the game wide open with a seven hit, nine run fifth inning to go back up, 12-4. After Cameron Recny was pulled before the start of the sixth, Miele and Cobb took it the rest of the way keeping the Vikings off the scoreboard and giving the Lakehawks the run rule victory after seven innings. The top of the lineup was on fire with Rubenstein, Scott and Jarrett Backus going a combined 9 for 13 with six runs scored and five RBI's. Alan Alonso added three RBI's of his own on two hits. Recny earned the win in the conference opener.

Monday's contest against St. John's has been moved from Leesburg to Palatka due to the chance for inclement weather. The game will start at 6 pm.