PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of West Florida scored six unanswered runs to come from behind and get the series sweep over No. 6 Florida Southern on Sunday afternoon in a chilly early season game at Jim Spooner Field. The Argos won 13-8 and are a perfect 3-0 to begin the season.
Right fielder
Zack Stokes continued his strong weekend at the plate going 3-for-3 with six RBIs and three runs scored. The Naperville, Ill. native hit two homeruns, a single and had a sacrifice fly.
Stokes got the scoring run started for the Argos in the third inning after the team saw their 2-0 lead in the first get erased by the Mocs' three runs in the second inning. Stokes SAC fly brought
Alex Urias home to make it a 5-3 game. UWF then added two more runs to tie the game when
Greg Pettay scored on a fielder's choice and
William Lybrook had an RBI single.
In the fourth inning the Argos scored four runs to regain the lead.
Trent Kelly started things off with a double. Urias then reached second following consecutive errors by the Mocs which also allowed Kelly to score. Stokes then homered to right center field to build an 8-5 lead.
Tyler Brobst joined the firepower of the fourth inning with solo shot to right center to give the Argos a 9-5 advantage.
Florida Southern closed the gap in the fifth inning with three runs, but UWF responded quickly in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single from Stokes. The grad student then added the next game's next runs on the board with his two-run homer in the eighth. Brobst scored later in the inning to give UWF a 13-8 lead which would hold.
In his first collegiate start, freshman
Tucker Ricks earned the win. The local Pace, Fla. pitcher faced the brunt of the Florida Southern scoring in the second inning but went three up and three down in the other three innings pitched. Ricks had two strikeouts.
West Florida will travel to Rollins for a three-game series next weekend. Game one will be Friday at 1 p.m. CT.