EFSC Titans Baseball Defeats Hillsborough 6-1, Jackson Woodward Returns to Mound After Missing 2 Years

titans improve to 4-4-1 on the season

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Friday was a special day at Bruce Bochy Field as the Eastern Florida State College baseball team picked up a win against Hillsborough Community College.

Titusville native Jackson Woodward made his return to the mound after almost two years during the Titans’ 6-1 win to improve to 4-4-1 on the season.

“It felt great, it’s the place I have been trying to get back to for the past two years and it felt good to be back on the opening field, competing with my teammates,” Woodward said.

“It was a picture-perfect welcome. First one in a while, I felt great and exceeded my expectations. I didn’t have all my pitches today, but I was able to go out and compete.”

Brian Walters started the game for the Titans and was stellar for five shutout innings, striking out six hitters without allowing a hit. Walters picked up his second win of the season.

Then in the sixth inning, Woodward came out of the dugout to a standing ovation as the crowd remained standing and clapping while he was warming up.

The right-handed pitcher was on the mound for the first time since he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma almost two years ago. Woodward went through chemotherapy, had surgery to remove it followed by more chemotherapy, which caused him to miss all of last season.

On Friday he was back on the mound and pitched a scoreless sixth inning, allowing one hit.

While the pitchers were throwing up zeroes the offense was off and running early – literally.

Gabriel Cruz led off the game with a walk, stole second base, and scored on a passed ball. Drew Cavanaugh singled and would score on an error and then Drew Stubbs walked and scored on a Dalton Robinson sacrifice fly.

Up 3-0, the Titans would tack on two more on an Ivan Zambrano home run. Zambrano crushed an inside fastball over the left field wall for a two-run home run.

Eastern Florida State College will host ASA Miami on Tuesday for the first of four games this week at Bruce Bochy Field. Tuesday’s game begins at 6:30 p.m.

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