Eagles soar, take down FAMU in two-game set
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (10/10/2024) - The Tallahassee State College baseball team swept the neighboring Florida A&M Rattlers in a doubleheader meeting on Tuesday, October 8. Game one saw a strong 12-2 finish by the Eagles who kept up the momentum in game two, winning 6-1. Each game went seven full innings.
Bryce Hooker put TSC on the board first, tagging up on Reid Harvey's sacrifice-fly to center field to take home. FAMU evened the contest in the bottom of the inning, scoring on a sacrifice bunt.
A walk and three hit batters allowed the Eagles to load the basepath a few innings later: Braydon Tindell reclaimed the lead by stealing home and Hunter Rebhan drove in the remaining runners with a two-RBI single. Tallahassee State led 5-1 at the end of the third inning.
Returner Harbersting Abreu and newcomer Gilberto Reyes-Torres held off the usually-potent Rattler bats across the first four innings. Abreu struck out two and gave up just two hits, whereas Reyes-Torres picked up two three K's and held the Rattlers hitless. While the two issued a combined four walks, Eagle defense held strong and only allowed one runner to score.
Keuri Martinez legged it out from second base on Boone Hosey's single to score another run in the fifth. A bobbled ball from Harvey at third base allowed FAMU's Jaden Niles to score, bringing the Rattlers within four runs.
The Eagles weren't to be deterred, putting up a combined six runs across the sixth and seventh inning. Martinez led the charge, earning his second hit of the day with an RBI double. He and a walked Fabian Ayala were driven in by Tindell. TSC added their final three more runs in the following inning with an RBI double from Will McDonald and a two-RBI single from Jacob Riegel.
Justin Morales pitched the fifth and sixth innings, allowing one hit through 10 batters faced. Brady Appel saw FAMU out in the final inning of game one, issuing one walk and one hit but picking up a strikeout to secure the 12-2 Eagle victory.
The Eagles put up 10 hits to the Rattlers' four in game one. Hooker and Rebhan both went 2-3 with two singles each. Martinez went 2-3 with a single and a double, scoring two runs.
The energy didn't die between games: a five-hit first inning spelled four quick runs for Tallahassee State. Daniel Spicher, Cash Clementi, Wyatt Jenkins, and Tindell all singled and Maurice Maiquez managed an RBI double in his first at-bat.
Ryan Meekins started on the mound in game two. He struck out all three batters faced in the second inning alone, managing five strikeouts overall while allowing just two singles from FAMU's offense.
Eagle batters kept up the pressure in the third inning. Jenkins' RBi-single saw Maiquez home and pushed Reigel to third base, where he later stole home in Jenkins' attempt to steal second base.
Emery Dawkins entered in relief for the third and fourth innings, giving up two singles but punching out two batters out of ten faced. The Rattlers managed one run in the bottom of the fourth inning on a narrow tag-up play.
Aiden Denlinger, Christian Madeira, and Riegel closed out the remaining innings, holding FAMU scoreless. Denlinger managed two strikeouts despite three walks to escape the fifth inning unscathed, while Madeira and Riegel turned two quick innings, facing just three batters each.
The Eagles soared offensively once again, managing seven hits to FAMU's five. Clementi and Jenkins both went 2-3 with two singles each. Maiquez was 1-2, accounting for two runs.
Fans of Tallahassee State College Baseball can view their remaining fall schedule here.
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Credits:
Writer: Maddy Branning
Photographer: Hannah Sander