No. 24 Lakehawk Baseball Snags Midweek Win in Ft. Pierce

FT. PIERCE, Fla. (Baseball) – Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) baseball registered their first win as a nationally ranked team on Tuesday afternoon after defeating Indian River State College (IRSC) 6-2.  

Indian River took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but their lead did not stick for long. In the top of the third, Osjun Rivas led off the inning with a walk for Andrew Merchant to blast a two-run homerun to tie the score at 2-2.

With the score still tied going into the top of the fifth, Merchant and Tad Brooks led the inning off with a pair of walks. With Merchant and Brooks on second and third, Mason Blackburn stepped up with a single up the middle to score two.

Ryan Villaman reached on a walk and Eli Thurmond loaded the bases after reaching first on a throwing error from the Pioneer infield. Christian Cantwell and Joelvis Fernandez Angeles drew back-to-back walks to extend the Lakeahwk lead 6-2.

Rain came during the sixth inning, causing the game to revert back to the last complete inning. With five complete innings played, the Lakehawks recorded the 6-2 win over the Pioneers.

On the mound, Bryan Burtoft recorded his first-career complete-game win with 5.0 innings pitched. After allowing two runs in the first, he held the Pioneers scoreless for the remainder of the game to earn his first win of the season.

Lake-Sumter moves to a 22-13 overall record while Indian River moves to 24-8 on the season.

The Lakehawks will continue Sun-Lakes Conference action on Friday, Mar. 28 against Florida State College at Jacksonville. The series opener is set for 1:00 p.m. in Jacksonville, Fla.

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