LAKE WALES. Fla.—Following a 10-run victory over the No. 21-ranked Royals on Friday, the top-ranked Fire needed a pair of clutch comebacks to secure the series sweep over Warner. SEU eventually notched 9-5 and 4-2 victories as the nation’s top team climbed to 30-3 and remained perfect at 9-0 in league action.
Southeastern went down 3-0 in the third inning of game one, but immediately battled back. The Fire, who had not registered a hit through three innings, collected five runs on five hits as the team took a 5-3 lead in the fourth.
Noah Strohl and Colton Onstott started the comeback with back-to-back RBI hits, cutting the deficit to a lone run. After Adam De La Cruz notched an RBI fielder’s choice to tie the contest, Manuel Mesa singled in Onstott to give SEU its first lead of the day. Mike Taylor Jr. then capped off the frame with a bases-loaded walk to make it 5-3.
Onstott, who finished the game 2-4 with a pair of RBIs, then started the scoring in the fifth by bringing around Strohl with a hit down the right field line. De La Cruz followed suit by scoring Dominic Anagnos before the Fire loaded the bases for the second time in as many innings. Mesa beat out a possible double play ball to extend the inning and score Onstott, growing the lead to five in the fifth.
After the Royals made it an 8-5 game in the seventh, Ivan Nunez responded with a solo shot in the ninth. The senior’s ninth longball of the year wrapped up game one and highlighted Nunez’s 3-4 day.
Game two featured a pitcher’s duel between Keven Long and Warner’s Andres Fernandez, as well as another Fire bounce back.
Long struck out six while only allowing four hits and one run through 5.2 innings pitched. Despite his efforts on the mound, the Royals took a 2-0 advantage into the ninth inning.
Nunez got the SEU rally started in the top of the ninth with yet another solo bomb. The Fire, who had not registered more than one hit in any inning up to that point, then collected three consecutive base hits.
Onstott singled and Abdel Guadalupe doubled, putting runners on second and third with one out. After Anagnos walked to load the bases, De La Cruz tied the game with a sacrifice fly to center that nearly left the park. Willie Estrada completed the comeback with a 2-RBI single that brought in Anagnos and Guadalupe, giving SEU a 4-2 advantage.
Both Nunez and Onstott contributed in the contest with 2-4 performances.
Heibert Romero closed the door on the Royals with two strikeouts over the last two innings pitched. The senior earned his third win of the year as Southeastern escaped with a late win, the team’s 30th of the season.
Warner’s Fernandez fanned five batters and only gave up six hits through eight innings before surrendering three runs in the ninth.
The Fire will return home for a doubleheader against Florida National on Monday. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Ted A. Broer Stadium.
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