WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic baseball team finished up a four-game series against the Lynn Fighting Knights this afternoon at the RAC. After taking both games in Boca Raton yesterday, the Sailfish won the first game 12-9 but dropped the final game as they attempted to sweep 5-3. The Sailfish had a solid week going 4-1 against SSC competition and improved their record to 7-11 on the year.

Game 1: PBA 12, Lynn 9

It became evident very early in game one of today's doubleheader that it wasn't going to be a day for pitchers on either side as the wind was blowing out hard to left field throughout the day. The unenviable pitching task fell on Matt Leslie for the Sailfish and Eric Heatter for the Knights After opening the game with a man on third and second with no outs, Leslie did a solid job to escape the opening inning after allowing just one run. He didn't have his best stuff on the day as the usually around-the-plate senior walked five, but he was able to battle and give the 'Fish five innings to keep PBA in the game. 

The Sailfish offense got going in the third when Carlos Lara's sacrifice fly plated Dylan Tosto who doubled to lead off the inning. The Sailfish would use the long ball and ride the wind out to left often throughout the game and Brandon Seltzer was the first to do so in the third when he gave PBA the 3-2 with his homer that scored Landen Morrison. Lynn would hit back and add two in the fourth off the Sailfish starter but the Sailfish offense broke the game open in the sixth. Jake Roper led the inning off with a solo homer and four batters later, Tosto's three-run homer put the Sailfish back on top 7-5. PBA wasn't done in the frame as Ramon Machado crushed one to left that didn't need the wind to cap a three-homer, six-run inning. 

The long balls weren't done for the Sailfish as Sebastian Salado and Tosto went back-to-back in the seventh as PBA set a school record by homering six times in a game. Leading 12-6, the Sailfish weren't able to cruise to the victory as the Fighting Knights hit two homers in the eighth to score three runs, but Ruiari Murphy came in and shut the door to earn the save. 

The Sailfish offense was able to outslug Lynn in game one as they outhit the Knights 13-7. The Sailfish pitching struggling to find the zone as five different Sailfish pitchers surrendered 12 free passes, but they were able to force the Knights to strand 14 runners. Machado, Seltzer, Roper, Salado, and Tosto, who hit two, all homered for the Sailfish while the latter two recorded three RBI's each. Five total 'Fish recorded multi-hit games as the Sailfish slugging attack powered the Sailfish to the series win over Lynn.

Game 2: PBA 3, Lynn 5  

After the offensive display in game one, it was expected that it would carry over into the shortened seven innings game two as both teams struck in the first inning. The Knights put together three singles to plate one run while the Sailfish answer with two of their own in the bottom of the inning when Machado singled to score Morrison and Rabelo doubled to score Machado. However, PBA's Christian Horner and  Lynn's Chris Mormile limited the bats by doing a better job keeping the ball in the park.

Horner would go four innings surrendering four runs as he ran into trouble in the top of the fifth and was pulled after the first three batters reached base. Mormile had the breaking ball working as he threw it early and often and the Sailfish batters struggled to adjust against it struck out nine over his six innings pitched. Brandon Seltzer drove a ball deep in the right-center field gap in the fifth and found his way all the way home for an inside the park home run after right fielder Lawrence Cicileo'd diving attempt came up empty. 

Brad VanAsdlen looked good in a clean final 1.2 innings of relief to give the Sailfish a chance to rally late, but the Sailfish were held to just four hits in the game. The middle of the lineup in Seltzer, Roper, Machado, and Fabelo each had one hit but they were unable to get help from others in the order as they fell 5-3. Horner was hit with the loss while Mormile earned his first win of the year. 

The Sailfish will look to carry the momentum from the solid week over into another busy week of play as they are scheduled to play four games in the coming week. They hope to have a game on the road on Wednesday before a three-game series against Rollins over the weekend.