Florida Tech Panthers Sports Roundup
By Florida Tech // April 23, 2014
Ninth Inning Rally Falls Short at Saint Leo
The Florida Tech Panthers played their only game of the week Tuesday night, as they took on Saint Leo. The Panthers fought off an early deficit and tried to rally late, but the Lions came away with a 7-5 victory.
The Lions (30-13) struck first in the opening inning. Fran Whitten gave the club a 2-0 advantage with a home run over the fence in left field. It was Whitten’s 10th home run of the season.
The Panthers (25-20) loaded the bases in the second, but could not bring a run home. However, the squad regrouped in the third inning. After freshman Grant McKown hit a two-out double, sophomore Austin Allen brought him around to score with a double of his own. The run cut the Panthers’ deficit to 2-1.
Still trailing by a run, the Panthers evened the game in the sixth. With runners on the corners, senior Jimmie Koch sent a single into right field, which scored Allen.
The Lions responded in the bottom half of the sixth, and retook the lead. Jordan Taylor scored Cole Stancil with a double to right-center. Taylor was then brought around to score by Kevin Games, and the run gave the Lions a 4-2 lead.
The Lions were not done in the inning, and added one more run to take a 5-2 lead.
Saint Leo added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth, and took a 7-2 lead into the ninth inning. The Panthers did not give in, and tried to mount a late rally.
Senior Andrew Bartlett drove in two runs with a double to left-center. The runs cut the deficit to 7-4.
Senior Dan Bodziak then added another run when he scored Bartlett. However, 7-5 is as close as the Panthers would get, as Saint Leo earned the victory.
Junior Jerrod Leinhauser (5-4) suffered the loss for the Panthers. Leinhauser pitched an inning out of the bullpen, and gave up three runs on four hits. Junior Scotty Ward started the game and pitched five innings, but did not factor into the decision. Allen led the offense for the Panthers going 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles, a run scored, and an RBI.
Ryan Sadler (2-0) picked up the win for the Lions. Sadler pitched 3.1 innings, gave up one run on three hits, and struck out three. Brandon Terry closed the game out for his ninth save of the season.
The Panthers will be off until May 3-4 when they finish regular season play with a Sunshine State Conference series at No. 1 Tampa.
