Coming off last weekend’s four game sweep, Florida Memorial responded by winning three of four games over the NAIA’s No. 12 ranked Keiser University this weekend. The Lions took control of the series two games to one heading into the series final game on Saturday.
The Lions won 5-2 on Thursday, splitting the doubleheader winning game two of their four-game set with a 5-4 walk-off win Friday, then a 11-1 loss in game three, setting the stage for what was going to come next.
In Saturday’s series finale, Florida Memorial won the rubber match of the four-game series 8-7 to take a 3 games to 1 series victory. The Lions moved to 14-6 overall and 3-1 in SUN conference play. Keiser came into the scheduled four game set with an 18-4 record. The Seahawks head home now 19-7 and 1-3 in the conference.
Here’s how the dust settled in full following weekend action.
In the final game, Keiser, the 12th ranked team in the NAIA Top 25 coaches Poll, came out strong in leading-off the game touching Florida Memorial starter William Hiciano with back-to-back mammoth home runs over the center field fence from Seth Lucero and Pablo Ruiz for an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. Luckily, the Lions would get out of the inning with no further damage. But this would be the end of their woes in this game.
Down 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning, FMU cut the deficit to 2-1 after Alejandro Fernandez doubled down the left field line. Nathan Harris pinch ran for Fernandez. Eduardo Perez drove Harris in with a single to put the first run on the board.
Florida Memorial would even the score in the bottom of the second inning. Marco Medina drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to right center to tie up the game.
The Lions broke the game open with a five-run third inning.
FMU’s five-run third inning started when Fernandez added another run for the Lions with a single up the middle to take the lead. Ernie Farrell singled to right field to tack on another run. Ulises Rodriguez hit a single to the right side to extend the Lion’s lead. Ivan Zambrano drove in an RBI on a groundout to shortstop. Medina doubled to left center and added another run for the Lions to go up 7-2.
After his shaky start in the first inning, Hiciano settled down and controlled the action on the mound for 5.2 innings where he allowed no runs to cross the plate. Diego Coss relieved Hiciano and the Seahawks scored two runs in the top of the six-inning making it a 7-4 ball game.
But Florida Memorial would bounce right back plating a run in the bottom of the inning. Pheron Charlton singled past the shortstop. He then stole second base. Perez reached first on a fielding error and Charlton scored on an error by the shortstop sending Florida Memorial up 8-4.
Keiser chipped at the Lions lead adding two additional runs in the seventh inning with the Lions now clinging to an 8-6 lead.
Both teams went scoreless in the eighth inning.
In the top of the ninth, Keiser threatened with a run to make it a one run game. With two outs in the inning, the Seahawks’ Edbarry Guzman hit a hard grounder to FMU first baseman Luis Ruiz with the bases loaded, ending the game and handing Florida Memorial the 8-7 victory.
After the first inning, FMU never trailed in its victory over Keiser.
Throughout the series’ three wins, Lions pitchers shut down the nationally ranked Seahawks. Kelvin Feliciano and Jamal Johnson limited the damage in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, and Johnson shut the door in the ninth. Johnson did not allow a hit in his 0.2 innings of work.
Hiciano (W, 4-1) on the mound for Florida Memorial, threw 5.2 innings, allowed 7 hits, 4 runs, and 4 earned runs.
FMU’s Fernandez, Farrell, Rodriquez, and Zambrano all went 2-for-4 at the plate. Medina was 1-for-3, and Charlton went 1-for-2 with 2 runs scored.
Also notable… Charlton, Harris, Rodriquez, and Medina each recorded a stolen base in the contest.
The last time Florida Memorial defeated a ranked Keiser University baseball team was during the 2018 regular season and in the SUN Conference tournament.