Fire Respond to Split with Conquistadors

LAKELAND, Fla.—After falling in the opening game of a doubleheader with Florida National 7-4, the Southeastern baseball team rebounded in a major way to close out the day. The Fire defeated the Conquistadors 23-1 in the second seven-inning contest, moving to 31-4 on the season.
SEU immediately got on the board with four runs in the bottom of the first inning of game one. A pair of FNU errors, as well as a two-RBI hit by Dominic Anagnos gave the Fire a 4-0 lead.
Despite the strong start, FNU was able to chip away at the deficit with three runs in the top of the fourth. The Conquistadors, who had five players with multiple hits, notched runs in the fifth and sixth to go ahead 5-4 before closing out the first competition with a pair of runs in the seventh.
The Fire answered by scoring six runs in the first two innings of the second game. After FNU collected its only run of the contest in the top of the third, Southeastern responded by plating seven in the bottom of the inning.
Colton Onstott and Anagnos each registered two-RBI hits in the opening two frames. Ivan Nunez drove in Manuel Mesa, who reached on a bases-loaded walk, as the Fire took a 6-0 lead after two. Nunez finished his day 3-3 with three runs scored and a trio of RBIs.
Willie Estrada blasted a two-run home run, his sixth of the year, to start the seven-run third inning. Noah Strohl then notched a two-RBI single to put SEU up 11-1. Josh Nelson capped off the third with a two-run shot to right center, which ensured that all players in Southeastern’s starting lineup had a hit before the end of the third frame.
A seven-run performance in the third was followed up by another seven-run outing in the fifth. Nunez and Estrada each plated a run in the fifth, while Dan Valerio and Thomas Delfel scored two to expand the SEU advantage to 19. Estrada went 2-3 with three batted in and Valerio ended 3-4 with four runs scored and two RBIs.
The Fire, who are the nation’s top hitting team (11.8 hits per game), scored 17 unanswered runs in the contest, ending the night with 19 hits. A trio of SEU players recorded three hits and four drove in three runs in the latter of the two competitions. Anagnos joined Nunez and Valerio with three hits, as the senior went 3-4 with a pair of runs scored and three RBIs.
Bryce Fraser (2-0) got the win on the mound for Southeastern after pitching three innings and allowing only a single run on six hits.
Nick Ferngren also performed admirably for the Fire, as the junior gave up a mere two hits and struck out seven through three innings pitched. Ferngren’s first seven outs were recorded via the strikeout before getting the final batter he faced to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
Walks gave Southeastern an abundance of free baserunners in the game. The Conquistadors walked 11 batters, including three with the bases loaded.
Delfel and Anagnos drew bases-loaded walks in the sixth before Nunez finished the 22-run victory by scoring Valerio with a sacrifice fly. Delfel’s walk notched his third RBI of the contest in a 1-for-1 showing.
The Fire, who sit at 9-0 in TSC play, will now travel to Ave Maria for a conference series starting on Friday. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.