WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Polk State Baseball freshman
Pierce Glading had one of the most clutch at-bats of his collegiate career, rocketing a two-out single into the right-field corner in the bottom of the ninth that scored Aaraon Stelogeannis to lift the Eagles to a 7-6 victory over St. Petersburg College on Saturday. The Eagles are now one win away from clinching a berth in the FCSAA Region 8 State Tournament.
The Eagles (30-17, 12-6 Suncoast) scored seven runs on 13 hits and overcame five errors in the field, while the Titans (15-26, 6-12 Suncoast) mustered their six runs on nine hits and committed three miscues of their own.
"This wasn't our cleanest game, but different guys stepped up and we found a way to win an important game down the stretch," said Polk State Head Coach
Al Corbeil.
A pair of RBI-hits by
Nelson Taylor and
Travis Stapleton in the bottom of the first earned Polk an early 2-0 advantage.
After the Titans answered with a run in the top of the second, the Eagles poured on three more in the bottom of the frame.
Ray Mercer, who doubled in his first at-bat of the day, smacked a two-run triple to right field during the inning to grow the Eagles' lead to 5-1. The triple was Mercer's 10th of the season, which set a new Polk single-season record. The previous record had not been eclipsed since 1986 by Brian Arnold and had been tied once by Eric Grabe in 2010.
SPC answered with three unanswered runs over the third and fourth innings to make it a one-run game.
After Polk starting pitcher
Aiden Butler allowed just one earned over four innings and struck out two, the Eagles turned to the bullpen.
Jaydon Bishop emerged to toss two frames of one-hit baseball, conceding just one walk and striking out five batters.
An RBI triple by Taylor in the bottom of the fourth scored Stelogeannis and extended the Polk lead to 6-4.
The Titans plated one in the top of the seventh via an RBI single by Brett Wagner and tied the game in the top of the ninth 6-6, thanks to a sacrifice fly to left field by Nick Yedman.
Stelogeannis led off the bottom of the ninth by being hit by the first pitch he saw and got aboard. He proved to be the winning runner for the Eagles after Glading's dramatic pinch-hit base knock.
Ryan Combs improved to 5-1 on the season after allowing just one unearned run on two hits, while striking out two over the last two innings of the game.
The Eagles look to clinch a postseason berth and eliminate the Titans on Monday in game three of the series. First pitch at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater is set for 5 p.m.
