Southeastern Claims Second Sun Conference Baseball Tournament Title
Donnie Smith
FORT MYERS, Fla.—Needing one win on Championship Monday at City of Palms Park, the Fire were behind the eight ball with a loss in the day's first game.
After dropping a 9-4 contest to start the day, the Fire claimed the 2017 tournament title with an 11-3 win over Keiser in the "if necessary" game.
Senior shortstop
Luis Diaz got the final game started with a solo home run over the left field wall, but ended up falling behind 3-1 in the top of the fourth.
The Fire would answer in the bottom of the inning with a bases-loaded walk, and a sacrifice fly by Diaz to tie the game.
An RBI single by
Marcus Guzman gave the Fire a 4-3 lead, and a bases-loaded hit by pitch to
De'John Suber made it a two-run game.
The game was put out of reach in the sixth when Guzman drove in a pair of runs with a single through the right side of the infield to kick off a four-run inning. He came around to score on an error that was part of a sacrifice fly.
Guzman finished the game 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two stolen bases. He finished as the tournament's leader RBIs (8), stolen bases (5), and set a new tournament record for total hits with 12. He, along with Diaz and catcher
Gerald Ceballos were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Adrian Rivera picked up the win, working four shutout innings in relief of
Oscar Sandoval, who held the Seahawks to one hit.
Southeastern struggled in the first contest of the day against Keiser pitcher Keivan Berges, who held SEU to two runs on seven hits over eight innings, and struck out a career-best nine hitters. He helped his own cause with a 3-for-5 effort at the plate, including a two-run home run.
Guzman, Diaz, and
Jadan Garcia all had two hits in the game, which the Fire never led.