No. 9 TU Gives No. 1 SEU’s Lineup All it Can Handle in Heartbreaking Defeat

LAKELAND, Fla. – Starting pitcher Gabel Pentecost and the Taylor defense behind him was brilliant, but No. 1 Southeastern (10-0) plated runs in the eighth and ninth innings to claim a 3-2 walk-off victory over Taylor (2-6) on Thursday night. The three runs allowed by the Trojans marks the fewest SEU has scored in a game all year.

Pentecost threw 83 pitches in five and-a-third innings of terrific one-run ball where he struck out six and gave up only four hits to a vaunted Southeastern lineup that came in to the game with a hefty .580 slugging percentage.

The defense also played its part throughout the early innings, turning a 4-6-3 double play started by Brennan Frickel in the first frame and throwing a runner out stealing courtesy of Jacob Caruso to negate a third-inning threat. After one run had come across for the Fire in the fourth inning, Pentecost got a strikeout and shortstop Ben Kennedy ended the frame with a great play ranging to his left to preserve a 1-1 tie.

Later, in the bottom of the sixth frame with TU leading 2-1, Jack Ross induced a massive groundball double play – that also went 4-6-3 – against the first batter he faced to strand the game-tying runner on third base.

The Trojans had gotten a run in the third inning using a walk, single and wild pitch that scored Kaleb Kolpien, and they retook the lead in the top half of the sixth via a Sam Gladd double with a throwing error on the play to plate Brayden Manning, who led the Taylor lineup with two base hits on the night.

Following the magnificent defensive plays and still clinging to a 2-1 lead through seven innings, it appeared TU was destined to pull off the upset and hand the Fire their first loss of the season. A two-out SEU rally in the eighth inning that started with a seeing-eye single and a walk eventually tied the game 2-2, however, on a bang-bang play at home. Much like Ross had done earlier though, Jared Crandall got a groundball out facing his first batter to end the inning with a runner on third and keep the game knotted.

Taylor's bats unfortunately fell silent late, and Southeastern filled the bases in the ninth frame and came around to score to keep its perfect season alive.

No. 9 TU concludes its series against the Fire with a doubleheader on Friday. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 2 p.m.