Cole, Eagles down Pensacola State in PC opener

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 14, 2014) –FCSAA No. 1/NJCAA No. 4 Tallahassee Community College successfully opened defense of its Panhandle Conference championship on Friday, defeating Pensacola State College 11-2 in a game that ended in seven innings. 

Sophomore lefty Victor Cole (5-0) went the distance for Tallahassee, who won its 17^th straight game and improved to 29-5 (1-0 PC).

Pensacola State is now 10-18 (0-1). 

Tallahassee jumped on Pensacola State starter and losing pitcher Austin Bembnowski for three runs and four hits in the first inning. 

The Eagles began the inning with three straight singles, the last by Bobby Rice, who safely bunted his way on, to load the bases. D.J. McKnight's sac-fly to right scored Johnny Blue Craig and the runners advanced to second and third on the throw home. 

Quincy Nieporte began a big offensive day with a single to score Ryne Willard and Cody Borup's ground out brought home Rice for a 3-0 lead. 

After Pensacola State scored an unearned run in the third, Tallahassee answered with another big inning that chased Bembnowski and ended with an 8-1 advantage. 

Nieporte had another RBI-single to start the scoring, the first of five hits in the inning. By the time Craig singled home Cole Johnson, Tallahassee had a seven-run lead and it signaled the end of the game for Bembnowski, who was charged with eight runs in 2.2 innings. 

Pirates reliever Matt Muench pitched well, striking out five over 2.2 innings and held Tallahassee scoreless until the sixth. But consecutive one-out errors on dropped balls proved costly. 

First baseman Andy Chacon misplayed a pop up in foul territory to extend Rice's at-bat, which eventually ended in a walk. The next batter, McKnight, reached base when right fielder Ulysses Fluellen failed to snag a fly ball to shallow right. 

That set the stage for Nieporte, who drilled a three-run homer over the left centerfield field fence and gave the Eagles an 11-2 lead. 

Nieporte finished 3-for-4 with five RBI. 

The homer also put Tallahassee in position to end the game via the mercy rule, and Cole worked out of seventh-inning trouble to do just that. 

With the bases loaded and nobody out, Cole retired the next three batters, including a strikeout of Tate Sweatt – his ninth of the evening – to end the game. 

Cole scattered five hits and walked only one batter over seven innings. 

In addition to Nieporte, Tallahassee got big offensive games from Rice, who was 3-for-3 and scored three runs, and Craig, who was 2-for-3 with a run scored and one driven in. 

Borup had two RBI and Christian Dicks was 2-for-4. 

Tallahassee and Pensacola State will continue its three-game series in Pensacola on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m. eastern.