EFSC Defeats Indian River 4-1, Calvo Throws Complete-Game

By  //  April 15, 2015

Eastern Florida improves to 27-18 overall and 13-10 in conference

EFSC-Baseball-580-2
Freshman righty Blair Calvo pitched a complete-game four-hitter to lead Eastern Florida to a 4-1 baseball victory over Indian River State College on Tuesday at Bruce Bochy Field. (EFSC Image)

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Freshman righty Blair Calvo pitched a complete-game four-hitter to lead Eastern Florida to a 4-1 baseball victory over Indian River State College on Tuesday at Bruce Bochy Field.

The FCSAA Southern Conference victory moved Eastern Florida to 27-18 overall and 13-10 in the conference, keeping it in the thick of the race for second place and an automatic berth in the NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA Tournament.

The Titans also improved to 22-6 at home, 9-3 in the conference.

Indian River fell to 12-27 and 5-19.

The teams meet again at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Fort Pierce as the 28-game conference schedule winds down. Sophomore righty Dustin Hagy will pitch for Eastern Florida.

Calvo recorded five strikeouts in pitching his third complete game of the season. Staked to a 3-0 first inning lead Calvo did not allow a hit until the fourth inning. He also benefitted from two double plays started by freshman shortstop Vinny Capra.

Jeff Tam
Jeff Tam

“He’s got a lot of arm, he competes in the strikeout zone,” Eastern Florida head coach Jeff Tam said of Calvo who improved to 5-3.

“A little effectively wild at times but if we can get that changeup dialed in a little bit more frequently he’s unbelievable. He’s aggressive and he pounds the zone.”

The Titans collected nine hits but left 11 men on base. Capra and sophomore designated hitter Freddi Ramos had two hits apiece. Capra and his brother Nick each had a run batted in.

Sophomore Angel Soto had the big blow, a two-run, two-out single that dropped into right field in the first for the 3-0 lead.

“I’ll take it, I’ll take that right there,” said Soto who missed significant time early in the season with a wrist injury.

“Slowly I feel I’m getting better.”  “I’m seeing the ball better. It just takes time,” said Soto.

The same could be said for Calvo who is coming into his own as a college pitcher.

“I’m just trying to do the best I can and let my defense work for me,” he said. “The defense was making great plays and I got ahead with the fastball early in the game. Finally found the slider after the third inning.

“I’m starting to get a lot more comfortable out there. Beginning you can be kind of nervous but it’s gone away.”

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Beyond Wednesday, conference foe and fourth-place Miami Dade comes calling at 4 p.m. Friday before the teams clash at 1 p.m. Saturday in Kendall.

Eastern Florida concludes the regular season by hosting first-place Palm Beach State at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 in the third and final televised game on WEFS-TV and then visits Palm Beach in Lake Worth at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 22.

Admission to Eastern Florida home games is free.