Florida Tech's lacrosse win streak ends: No. 19 Florida Tech's men's lacrosse team saw its five-game win streak come to an end in a physical Sunshine State Conference matchup with Saint Leo (9-3, 1-2 SSC) on Saturday, as the Panthers fell to the Lions 13-8 on the road.
Brett Pohlmeyer and Carson Clough led FIT (6-5, 2-1 SSC) with two goals apiece. Tyler Covey and Nick Wynne each finished with a goal and one assist.
Clough scooped up a team-high five ground balls, while Grant Hughes and Nate Menninger recorded two caused turnovers. Lance Pavlina dominated the draws winning 14-of-19 faceoffs to go along with four ground balls. Daniel Flock fell to 6-5 while making 16 saves in goal.
FIT finished with more shots, 48-43, and faceoff wins, 16-7, while Saint Leo collected more ground balls in the game, 41-29. A total of 18 penalties were handed out during the contest, 11 of which to the Crimson & Gray. However, despite the numerous opportunities, neither team was able to convert their chances going a combined 4-of-17 (FIT 2-7, SLU 2-10).
The Lions jumped out to an early 3-0 lead just 7:11 into the contest. Goals by Clough and Wynne cut the FIT deficit to one, but Anthony Visintin pushed SLU's edge back to two with 28 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Pohlmeyer's unassisted effort made it a one goal game again with 12:58 left in the half. However, the Lions answered with three of the next four goals and built their lead to 8-4 with 1:24 remaining on the clock.
The Panthers concluded the first half with a flurry, with goals by Covey, Clough and Addision Abramson over the final 32 seconds to cut the margin to 8-7 at the break.
SLU scored the only goal of the third quarter on a man-up try by Charlie Kurtenbach with 19 seconds left in the period to increase its advantage to two.
Pohlmeyer's second goal of the game made it 9-8 with 10:08 remaining. However, the Lions would control the rest of the fourth quarter, tallying four more goals to bring the final margin to five.
Florida Tech will look to bounce back when it squares off with SSC rival Tampa on Saturday, Apr. 15, at 8 p.m. in Tampa, Florida. Fans can access links to live coverage at FloridaTechSports.com.
Panthers softball splits a pair: Florida Tech's softball team defeated Florida Southern 3-2 but lost the third game of the series 10-2.
Senior Hailey Leonard led the Panthers (23-22, SSC 9-10), ending the day with a 4-for-6 performance. The FIT first baseman recorded her sixth home run in Game 3. Junior Krista Patterson had a strong outing in the series doubleheader, as the Californian infielder drove in two RBI on three hits.
In the circle, Rachel Pence (16-14) and Amanda Khan combined to lead the way in the victory. Khan started the game, allowing two runs on six hits in 4.1 innings pitched. Closing the outing, Pence flawlessly maintained the Mocs, as she struck out five and allowed no hits for her 16th win.
Florida Southern is 14-21, SSC 5-13.
Starting Game 2, both teams were unable to place themselves on the scoreboard for four straight innings. The Crimson and Gray opened up the score in the fifth, snatching one run on a wild pitch. Eventually, the Mocs came back in the home half and took the lead over FIT, 2-1.
Florida Tech kept its spark alive in the sixth, as they overlapped Florida Southern by grabbing two more runs. The inning opened up with Katie Maiello reaching first on a walk. The freshman was then pushed to second by Alexus Smith's single behind the shortstop. With two outs on the board, Krista Patterson batted in the two winning runs for FIT with a single up the middle.
Florida Tech kept its guard up for the remainder of the game, restraining the Mocs' bats and clinching its eight SSC win, 3-2.
In Game 3, Florida Southern drew first blood, as the home team picked up two runs in the bottom of the first. After a blank second inning frame, the Mocs reached the scoreboard again in the third, as they snatched four more runs and overlapped the Panthers, 4-0.
The Florida Southern line-up struck again in the bottom of the fourth and enlarged its lead by four more runs. The Panthers entered the fifth battling for a comeback, as Audrey Gangloff placed FIT on base with a single to center field. Up at the plate, Karina Suicava followed up by pushing Gangloff to third with a single to right center, but the outfielder was tagged out at third base.
With one out and a runner in scoring position, Leonard blasted a two-run homer behind the left center fence, putting the Panthers on the board and closing the gap, 10-2. However, the hot streak for the Panthers was obstructed by the Mocs defense, and eventually the Crimson and Gray fell to the SSC rival, 10-2.
Florida Tech will be back at Nancy Bottge Field on April 13 to kick off the SSC series against Eckerd College. The series will also crown Senior Day to salute the 2017 senior class. Dugouts will line up at 3 p.m. Fans can access live coverage of the event at FloridaTechSports.com.
Florida Tech powers past Barry in baseball: The Friday night power surge was still burning on Saturday afternoon, as Florida Tech (21-13, SSC 7-5) swept Barry (16-22, SSC 3-9) 9-4, 5-3 in baseball.
In the series doubleheader, Florida Tech had an outstanding ride offensively. The Panthers collected 19 hits, of which eight were extra bases. Senior Reed Neil recorded another grand slam during Game 2, while David Wilson collected two home runs on the day, bringing his total to four. Dan Spzik collected four hits, of which one was a double, while the other was a two-run home run. First baseman Grant McKown shined during the outing, as the senior had a stellar 3-for-4 performance at the plate with two RBI.
On the mound, Grant Willcoxon (2-2) earned his second win, striking out three and walking one. In Game 3, Luke Lorah (2-0) got the win in 0.1 innings pitched. Andy Marzhauser started the game for Lorah, pitching 6.2 innings, where he struck out eight and walked one. Drew Beyer took the mound in the eighth, as he sealed the Panthers' win with three strikeouts.
In Game 2, the Panthers cruised past the Barry Buccaneers, as FIT snatched five runs in the second after BU grabbed one run in the first. David Wilson opened up the inning by reaching first on a hit-by-pitch. Ryan Sinzenich then flared a single through the right side, while Trent Masih was allotted with a walk.
With bases loaded, McKown waited for the fourth ball that moved FIT runners around the bases for the first Panthers run. With a tied score, Neil stepped to the plate, the senior out of Melbourne blazed another grand slam to empty the bases and put the Crimson and Gray ahead, 5-1.
Eventually, the Bucs closed the gap in the home half, picking up another run. The Panthers frenzy burst again, in the fourth and fifth, where Florida Tech bumped up its margin by three. The next Panther run came in the fourth with Masih's hit to opposite field, while another run was brought in by Wilson's deep shot behind the left field fence.
Barry tried to shorten the gap in the seventh by putting itself on the board again with two runs. However, the offensive efforts of the hosting team was quickly smeared by the Florida Tech offense, as McKowns' bat struck again in the eighth to bring in one more run for the Panthers. Willcoxon closed the game spotlessly, tacking the fifth SSC victory for FIT, 9-4.
Game 3 started in a different fashion, as both line-ups remained motionless until the very last at bat. The Panthers recorded their first hit in the fourth, with Spizk flaring a double to deep left center. However, the FIT right fielder was left hanging at second for another blank Crimson and Gray frame.
Florida Tech reached base again in the seventh, as John Sternagel was allotted with a free base and Nick Capra attained first on a base hit through the right side. Wilson up next, FIT broke through the score after he blasted his second home run of the day to clear the bases and bring in three runs.
The Buccaneers answered back in the home half and tied the score, 3-3. Florida Tech was not done grinding, as Spzik put the Panthers ahead once again in the eighth. The Ontario native shot a two-run home run behind left field to boost the lead, 5-3.
Beyer kept the Bucs at distance with mastery, closing the Barry offensive frames and fastening the FIT win, 5-3.
Racing against some of the best competition in the nation, the Florida Tech men's rowing team posted several strong performances on the Potomac River at Saturday's George Washington Invitational.
FIT opened the day with its rescheduled series from Friday, against two historic programs in Georgetown and the Naval Academy.
The Panthers' 2V8 kicked off the competition with the top spot in their race, crossing the finish line of the 2,000m course with a time of 5:28.10, ahead of Georgetown (5:32.10) and Navy (5:32.90). Then in the Varsity 8, FIT took second place with a time of 5:16.10, just behind the winner Georgetown (5:14.70) and ahead of Navy (5:17.50).
Florida Tech then turned its focus to the Varsity 8 series with host George Washington and rival MIT.
Despite dealing with higher winds in this second set of races, the Panthers finished runner up in the 2V8's race with a strong time of 5:29.10, behind GW (5:20.60) and well ahead of MIT (5:50.10). Concluding the day for the FIT rowers, the V8 garnered a second place result finishing in 5:18.30. GW took the top spot in the heat with a time of 5:12.30, while MIT (5:20.60) ended third.
The Crimson & Gray will now turn their sights to next weekend's SIRA Championships in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Florida Tech falls to No. 26 Nova Southeastern in tennis, 6-3:The Panthers looked to bounce back from a hard loss last week by taking home a "W" against No. 26 Nova Southeastern in Sunshine State Conference action at the campus courts. The Panthers fought hard in singles, splitting the points 3-3, but ended up falling in the end 6-3 to the Sharks.
The Panthers started slow in doubles with all teams falling behind, 4-1. Erin Egoroff and Meritt Rabson looked to make a comeback but hit a roadblock and fell to the No. 23 ranked team of Isabella Lowrey and Lucielena Perez, 8-2. Alahna Reto and Kayla Hergott struggled against the righty/lefty duo of Simone Pratt and Nastassia Rubel, losing 8-1. Paloma Vela and Lauren Stuckey battled hard in their doubles match, switching strategies and forcing their opponents to play their best. The Panther combination, unfortunately, could not hold on and lost 8-4.
The Panthers knew they needed to come out strong and fight in singles after losing all the doubles points to the Sharks.
Egoroff would face the challenge of trying to down No. 9 Perez. Egoroff fought hard and kept the points long, but in the end Perez was too much and downed her 6-1, 6-0. Lauren Stuckey pulled out a big win for the Panthers at the No. 4 spot. She used her strong back-hand as a weapon and picked her spots carefully, defeating Agasse 6-1, 6-3. Reto and Hergott did a good job fighting throughout their matches and mixing the pace up. Both of the duo's opponents were strong and played to their strengths whenever they could and ultimately earned the wins in the No. 2 and 3 singles spots.
With the other Panthers' day complete, Mariana Cataneiras and Maria Chun took their turns on the court for the Crimson & Gray. Castaneiras was able to catch fire with her forehand, causing her opponent to become frustrated and earning the victory 6-4, 7-5. With Maria Chun being the last on, the Panthers lined up to watch and support their teammate. Chun played a dominant game and was able to switch her play up when needed, and eventually earned the third win of the day for the Panthers 6-2, 6-2.
FIT is scheduled for another tough SSC match against Rollins, on Wednesday, Apr. 12, in Winter Park. The match is scheduled to start at noon.