TAMPA — Polk State Baseball kicked off Suncoast Conference play on the right foot on Friday afternoon as the Eagles held off Hillsborough Community College, 6-5.
Polk State (16-11, 1-0 Suncoast) went ahead for good with four runs in the third inning. That gave the Eagles a 5-2 lead, but the Hawks would make things interesting.
Hillsborough climbed to within a run after pushing two across in the eighth. Polk State's
Ryan Combs, however, was able to seal the deal and pick up the save. Combs allowed just a walk in 1.1 innings of relief.
Starter
Evan Koehler gave the Eagles six strong innings to pick up the win. Koehler allowed three runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out seven.
As a staff, Polk State did a nice job of pitching with traffic on the bases. On a day where both teams finished with 12 hits, the Hawks left twice as many on base by a margin of 12-6.
At the dish,
Pierce Glading and
Ray Bermudez each finished with two RBIs for Polk State.
Nelson Taylor,
Travis Stapleton, and
Evan Wainman each finished with two hits. Wainman's double served as the lone extra-base hit of the day for the Eagles.
With the victory, Polk State has now won four in a row. The Eagles will try to make it five as the teams square off again on Saturday — this time at Bing Tyus Yard. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
