The Florence-Darlington Technical College Stingers traveled to Palatka, Florida for the Capital City Bank Classic, and the team won two of four games against some of the toughest teams in the country.
The four-day series got underway on Thursday as the Stingers beat St. Johns River State 8-2. Right-handed pitcher, Evan Odum earned the victory on the mound. He pitched for 5.1 innings, and he only allowed five hits. Odum struck out eight batters.
Gabe Austin led the way in the batter’s box as he hit a three-run homer. Reid Hardwick from Conway, South Carolina and Cross Holfert each had two hits. Pageland, South Carolina’s Dante Blakeney batted in two runs.
On Friday, the Stingers lost to Broward 4-1. Connor Campbell took the loss after not recording an out in the first inning. Adam Spurlin had a hit and a run batted in.
Game No. 3 on Saturday was a close one, but the Stingers lost to Miami Dade 7-6. Tradd James of Sumter, South Carolina suffered the loss after giving up a two-out walk off single in the bottom of the seventh inning. Gabe Austin was 3-4 with a homerun and three runs batted in.
The Stingers earned the victory on Sunday as they defeated Chattahoochee Valley 10-2. Josh Price of Dillon, South Carolina earned the win after pitching six innings. Price only allowed five hits, and he struck out three batters.
Blakeney was 2-3 with two homeruns and three runs batted in. Holfert was 2-4 with a homerun and two runs batted in. Dax Roper also batted in two runs and scored in a 3-5 effort at the plate.
“We pitched really well this weekend,” head baseball coach Preston McDonald said. “We got three quality starts and had some relievers that came in and did well. We only gave up six earned runs in four games. If we would have had a few more quality at bats and caught a couple of routine popups, we go 4-0. I thought the guys responded really well after the losses and came to play Sunday. We played four of the top programs in the country this weekend. That’s why we go down to Florida for that tournament. The competition will prepare us for later in the season.”
With a 4-2 winning record, the Stingers will now host Southeastern Community College at Old Cormell Field on Wednesday, February 14. The first pitch will be thrown at 4 p.m.
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