ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – In their first road trip of the season, the Warner University baseball team split their doubleheader with NCAA-II Eckerd College on Saturday afternoon. The Royals had 11 hits in a 5-4 win in game one and lost 9-3 in game two. The split moves the Royals' record to 1-3 in 2015 while the Tritons are now 2-2.
In game one the Royals handed the ball to
Dalton Kelley who tossed five innings and gave up four runs on six hits with three strikeouts. After falling behind 2-0 in the second inning, the Royals' offense came to life in the fourth inning with one swing of the bat.
Jordan Pike delivered a bases clearing double to right center that plated three runs. The lead was short lived as the Tritons scored twice in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead 4-3.
After two scoreless innings of relief by the Royals bullpen, the Royals scored twice in the top of the seventh to retake the lead for good.
Jeff Stabe scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 4-4. Then with two outs,
Dylan Gross delivered what would be the game-winning RBI with a single to shortstop that scored
Torri Pringle from third base.
The Royals got impressive innings out of the bullpen from
Jimmy Diven,
Blaine Rhea and
Jordan Pike. Combined, the threesome held the Tritons to three hits and no runs over the final four innings. Diven (1-0) tossed 2.2 innings of two-hit baseball to pick up his first win of the season. Pike pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his first save of the season.
Gross finished the game with a pair of hits (2-for-3) and two walks.
George Kirkland was 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Pike went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
In game two, the Royals gave up four runs over the first three innings as the Tritons roughed up Warner starter
Dylan Heiring. The Royals made a game of it with a run in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings to cut the deficit to 4-3. Jonathan Sena scored the Royals' first run on a sacrifice fly by
Broderick Rodocker.
Randy Rodriguez drove in the second run with a single down the left field line in the fourth inning and
Torri Pringle's fielder's choice in the fifth inning scored Rodocker.
The Tritons blew the game open however, with five runs in the fifth and sixth innings and held the Royals scoreless in the final two frames.
Heiring (0-2) took the loss with six runs allowed in four innings pitched.
Jose Hernandez had the Royals only clean sheet in game two with an inning of scoreless relief.
Rodriguez and Rodocker each collected two hits for the Royals in game two. Rodocker scored a run and had a RBI while Rodriguez drove in one run.
The Royals return home in preparation for their first Sun Conference series next weekend against the University of South Carolina Beaufort. The Royals will travel north to Hardeeville, S.C. next Friday, Feb. 13, for the series opener at 1 p.m. Then on Saturday, Feb. 14, the Royals and Sand Sharks will start the doubleheader at 12 p.m. Last year the Royals swept the season series with the Sand Sharks 3-0 in Lake Wales.
