WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic baseball team hosted No. 3 Catawba on Monday night.
The Sailfish nearly pulled off the upset against the Indians after a two-run double from
Matthew Faranda gave PBA a 5-4 lead in the ladder half of the game. Unfortunately for the Sailfish, an error with the bases loaded broke the game open for Catawba, giving the visitors a 9-5 lead after a five-run seventh inning. PBA failed to bounce back, dropping the game 9-5.
After three scoreless innings, Catawba got on the board first with a grand slam with one out in the top of the fourth. Starter
Daniel Foster bounced back and retired the side after the homer.
Ben Green reached on an error to open the bottom of the fourth. Faranda doubled to right field to put runners on second and third with one out. After a strikeout,
Chris Amparo came through with a single to left, scoring a pair of runs, making it a 4-2 ballgame.
The Sailfish pushed across three more runs in the fifth.
Patrick Rakes and
Trey Miranda walked with one out before Green pulled a ball to right field for an RBI single. Green's single set up Faranda's two-run, opposite-field double down the left-field line, giving the 'Fish a 5-4 lead.
Foster was replaced in the top of the sixth by
Zachary Orloff. He took over with one out in the sixth, forcing a flyout and a strikeout to end the inning with PBA's lead intact.
Control issues struck for the Sailfish in the seventh inning. Two leadoff walks and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with no outs. Orloff got his final batter to strike out before being replaced by
Gavin Ingram. A wild pitch allowed one runner to score, tying the game at five. A sac fly made it 6-5 Catawba before another walk and a single brought
A.J. Prendergast out of the bullpen. After a walk loaded the bases, the Prendergast seemed to escape the inning by forcing a groundball to third, but the ball was thrown off target, allowing three runners to score, making the deficit 9-5.
PBA got runners on base in the bottom of the seventh and the ninth but failed to chain hits together. Catawba held on for the 9-5 win.
The Sailfish outhit Catawba, 9-8 in the game. Faranda, Green, and Amparo led the 'Fish with two hits each. Foster tossed 5.1 innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts. Orloff pitched one inning of relief, giving up two earned on no hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Jared Murray pitched a scoreless eighth inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.
Liam Martin kept the score at 9-5 in the ninth without allowing a hit.
PBA is back in action on Friday night, hosting West Alabama at 6 p.m.
