PENSACOLA, Fla. — West Florida secured a commanding 16-6 victory over Edward Waters on Thursday at Jim Spooner Field in the first round of the NCAA DII South Regional.
The Argos took control early in the game, scoring five runs in the second inning.
Alex Urias started things off with a single, followed by
Peyton Martin's single advancing Urias.
Hudson Spencer then brought Urias home with a single, and
Zack Stokes doubled to score Martin.
Trent Kelly capped the inning with a three-run homer, putting the Argonauts ahead 5-0 by the end of the second.
Continuing their momentum in the fourth inning, Stokes and Kelly both contributed with RBIs, bolstering the Argonauts' lead. Stokes' single and Kelly's double added three more runs, extending the lead to 8-0. The fifth inning saw more action from the Argonauts as
Jay Henderson scored on a sacrifice fly by Martin. A throwing error by the Tigers allowed Spencer to advance and score.
The Argonauts maintained their offensive pressure in the sixth inning.
Tyler Brobst scored on a single by
Greg Pettay, and Urias' single brought in
Ethan Babcock, adding two more unearned runs for a 12-2 lead. In the seventh, Brobst doubled to bring in two runs, and
Tanner Taylor followed with a double to score Pettay and Brobst, increasing the tally to 16-3.
Edward Waters managed to add runs in the later innings, but the Argonauts held a substantial lead. Joseph Di Cesare's ninth-inning homer brought the final score to 16-6, securing the win for West Florida.
Tucker Ricks delivered a strong performance for the Argonauts, pitching 5 innings, allowing just one hit and one earned run while striking out five batters.
Garrett Brewer closed the game by pitching 1.1 innings, allowing on3 earned run on one hit and striking out two.
The Argos will advance to face No. 5 Lee tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. at Jim Spooner Field.
