LAKELAND, Fla. (May 12, 2018) – Logan Lacey drove in five runs to lead Region 8 No. 7 Tallahassee Community College past No. 6 College of Central Florida, 12-4 in eight innings, in Saturday's first elimination game at the NJCAA Gulf District/FCSAA State Tournament.
Tallahassee (37-20) kept its season alive with the win and advances to Sunday's 10 a.m. elimination game against the loser of Chipola College and Santa Fe College, who play at 7 p.m. Saturday evening.
Lacey finished 2-for-3 but also had two sacrifice flies in addition to a big three-run home run early on.
Tallahassee batted around and scored three runs in the top of the first but also left the bases loaded and stranded 10 runners for the game. After Central Florida got a run back in its first at-bat, Tallahassee went to work again in the second.
Mason Miller reached on a leadoff single, Tanner Thomas walked then both runners advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Following a strikeout, Miller was tagged out in a rundown between third and home when Central Florida pitcher Ben Koff snagged a one-hopper off the bat of Tucker Rayburn. Just when it looked like the Eagles might squander another scoring opportunity, Lacey delivered.
The freshman third baseman from Tallahassee, Fla., (Godby HS) took Koff's 3-1 pitch deep over the left field wall for a three-run homer, extending the Eagles' lead to 6-1.
Following a scoreless third, the Eagles plated two more runs in the fourth.
Lacey's sac-fly to left scored Thomas, and Cole Vann scored when Luke Ard reached base courtesy of a two-out error.
Meanwhile, Tallahassee starter Brandon Reitz (4-4) was the beneficiary of the Eagles' offensive outburst. The right-hander allowed just two runs – both on solo homers – and three hits through five innings, but exited with a 9-2 lead after yielding a double and walk to start the sixth.
Tyler Lehrmann walked the first batter he faced to load the bases but minimized the damage, allowing only two runs – both of which were charged to Reitz – to keep Tallahassee comfortably in front.
Lehrmann picked up the save, his second, with three scoreless innings.
Tallahassee scored the final three runs to end the game via the mercy rule.
Vann, hit by a pitch three times in his first four plate appearances, finally got a chance to swing away in the seventh and delivered a two-run, ground-rule double to score Miller and Cameron Wright. Miller added an RBI-single in the eighth to score Ard.
Miller was 2-for-4 and scored twice. Thomas was 3-for-4 and scored four runs.
