LAKELAND, FLA. - The St. Thomas Bobcats battled early but couldn't keep pace with the No. 10-ranked Southeastern Fire, falling in game one. They battle back however in the nine inning contest, defeating SEU by a score of 6-2.
Game One
St. Thomas struck first in the opening inning, as Luis Morera drove in Eddie Novoa with a two-out RBI single to give the Bobcats a 1–0 lead. Southeastern answered right away, using a two-RBI single from Cooper Ciesielski to take a 2–1 advantage after one.
The Fire extended their lead in the third inning, plating three runs on four hits to go up 5–1. The Bobcats responded in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run home run from Keuri Martinez that capped a three-run frame and cut the deficit to 5–4.
Southeastern regained control in the fifth with two unearned runs, then broke the game open in the sixth inning with a five-run outburst, including a three-run homer from Jace Essig, stretching the lead to 12–4.
St. Thomas showed late fight in the seventh, as Novoa delivered a sacrifice fly and Daytan Biegel added an RBI single, but the rally fell short.
Morera and Martinez led the offensive effort for the Bobcats, who will look to bounce back after competing early against a top-10 opponent.
Game Two
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The Bobcats got on the board early in the first inning when Daytan Biegel launched a solo home run to left, giving the Bobcats a quick 1–0 lead. From there, the pitching staff took control, holding Southeastern scoreless through the first eight innings while stranding multiple baserunners.
The game remained tight until the sixth, when the Bobcats broke it open. Luis Morera came through with a two-RBI single, and Alan Nava followed with a two-run homer to cap a four-run inning that stretched the lead to 5–0.
St. Thomas added another run in the eighth on an RBI groundout from Edwin Toribio, extending the advantage to 6–0.
Southeastern pushed across two runs in the ninth, but the late rally wasn't enough as the Bobcats closed it out.
Biegel and Nava led the offense, while the Bobcats' pitching effort set the tone in a statement win over a top-10 opponent.
