Box Score TAMPA – For the second day in a row, Polk State Baseball used some late-inning magic to knock off Hillsborough Community College on Saturday, 6-4.
On a day where starting pitcher
Aiden Butler shined for Polk State (27-16, 9-5 Suncoast Conference), the Eagles still trailed 2-1 entering the eighth inning. Polk State used six runs in the seventh inning to rally past the Hawks on Friday. On Saturday, it was a three-run eighth that ultimately put the Eagles ahead for good.
For the second day in a row, it was
Nelson Taylor who put Polk State in the driver's seat to stay. One day after coming through with the decisive two-run home run, Taylor followed
Aaron Stelogeannis' game-tying double with a two-bagger of his own. Taylor would come around to score later in the inning.
Polk State added two runs in the ninth to push the lead to 6-2 but the Hawks refused to go quietly. Hillsborough answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning and brought the tying run to the plate.
Ryan Combs was able to strike out the lone batter he faced for his FCSAA-leading 10th save.
For the second day in a row, Taylor and
Ray Mercer each had three hits. Mercer finished a home run shy of the cycle while each of Taylor's hits went for extra bases. Taylor drove in two runs while both he and Mercer scored twice.
Ray Bermudez was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI in the victory.
On the mound, Butler was able to work around nine hits and three walks to give Polk State a quality start, allowing just one earned run in six innings. In just his second appearance of the season,
Josh Texidor worked a scoreless seventh to pick up his first win.
Jaydon Bishop returned from injury to throw a scoreless eighth in his first action since March 6.
With the win, Polk State is now a season-high 11 games over .500. The Eagles also eliminated Hillsborough Community from FCSAA Tournament contention. Polk State will look to improve to 7-0 against the Hawks this season when the teams meet back in Winter Haven on Monday at 5 p.m.
