PENSACOLA, Fla. — The University of West Florida baseball team secured the series sweep over Christian Brothers University on Saturday at Jim Spooner Field. Game one saw a 10-1 victory, followed by a 7-0 win to end it.
Game 1
West Florida took an early lead in the second inning when Gustavo Mendez singled up the middle and later scored on a single by Gann Nobles. In the third inning, Tanner Taylor singled and stole second before being driven in by another single from Mendez, increasing West Florida's advantage to 2-0 through three innings.
Christian Brothers responded in the fourth, scoring a run on a fielding error, but West Florida answered back with two runs of its own. Luke Hill and Nobles walked, and Taylor's single brought both runners home, extending the lead to 4-1 after four innings.
Nobles walked and was advanced by Hudson Spencer's sacrifice bunt, eventually scoring on Spencer's second groundout, making it 5-1 through six innings.
The eighth inning saw the Argos put the game out of reach, starting with a single by Tyler Brobst, who advanced on a wild pitch. Mendez then hit a critical grand slam to left field, bringing home Brobst, Jedd Jones, and Spencer. West Florida dominated to secure a 10-1 lead.
The Argos maintained their defensive presence in the ninth inning, holding Christian Brothers scoreless to finalize the victory. Elijah Roberts started the game for West Florida, pitching 3.2 innings and allowing one earned run on two hits, while striking out two and walking two. Braden Rapp followed with a strong performance, throwing 2.1 innings without surrendering a hit and striking out one. Tucker Jackson and Blake Thomas combined for two innings of no-hit relief, with Jackson striking out one despite issuing two walks. Micky Scheetz closed the game with a perfect inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced.
"We came out with a lot of energy today. The pitching was fantastic," said head coach Mike Jeffcoat. "Took us a little while to get going in that first game offensively, but then we started swinging the bats, left some base runners a few times, and then finally busted open. Gus Mendez had a big day, hit the grand slam there in that 9th inning of that first game, and then we came out and got on the board early."
Game 2
West Florida's offense was highlighted by a four-run third inning and a combined one-hitter from its pitching staff.
The Argos began their scoring in the second inning when William Lybrook launched a home run to left center, giving West Florida a 1-0 lead through two innings.
The third inning saw a surge from West Florida as Zack DeJesus walked and advanced to third on a single by Trent Kelly. Kelly stole second while DeJesus scored on the throw. Greg Pettay followed with a walk, setting the stage for Lybrook, who drove in two runs with a single to center field. Gustavo Mendez then doubled, bringing home Lybrook. UWF extended its lead to 5-0 by the end of the third inning.
In the fourth inning, Ethan Babcock doubled and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Kelly singled to score Babcock, and Pettay doubled to drive in Kelly, increasing the lead to 7-0 after four innings.
Tucker Ricks delivered a strong performance, pitching 5 innings while allowing only 1 hit and striking out 5 batters. Ricks maintained control with 39 strikes out of 65 pitches and did not allow any earned runs, earning his second win of the season. Eli Lamb followed with 2 scoreless innings, giving up no hits and striking out 2.
"Tucker Ricks had a great start for us, had a no no going into the 5th and gave us five strong. And then Lamb finished up," said Jeffcoat. "I think we played clean, clean defense all day long. Couldn't ask for more to keep the momentum going into next weekend."
West Florida will travel to start their series against Delta State University on Friday, Feb. 27 in Cleveland, Mississippi.
