ST. PETERSBURG, FL – — Eckerd freshman righthander Sam Reece retired the first 23 New Paltz batters and pitched eight innings of three-hit ball to lead the Tritons to an 11-2 win over the Hawks this evening.
Reece, who struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter, had his bid for a perfect game ended on a two-out single in the eighth inning by senior shortstop Randy Walters (Collierville, TN).
Eckerd used a 14-hit attack to stop a two-game skid and improve to 17-14. Sophomore designated hitter Aaron McClain went 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs batted in and sophomore catcher Tony Menendez went 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Tritons.
After Walters broke up the no-hit bid in the eighth, senior outfielder Kevin Smith (Niskayuna, NY) and freshman designated hitter Marc Bernstein (Altamonte Springs, FL) each had RBI hits to help the Hawks score twice in the inning.
Freshman Andrew Raphael (Brooklyn, NY) went 5 1/3 innings and allowed 12 hits for New Paltz in his collegiate debut.
The two teams will conclude their two-game series this evening at 5 p.m.
