Fort Myers, FL — The 8th ranked Webber International Baseball team split its two games at JetBlue Park on Saturday and Sunday, opening the day with a dominant 16-4 win over Keiser before dropping a 10-5 matchup against Southeastern that was sent into a weather delay and finished on Sunday morning. The Warriors piled up 15 hits in the win over Keiser and added nine more against Southeastern, finishing with 21 total runs across the two contests.
In the opener against Keiser, Webber broke the game open early with a four-run second inning. Will Gisriel started the rally with a double to right field before Steven Nitch singled to center to put runners on the corners. Austen Jaslove brought in the first run with an RBI single, Skyler Schulz followed with an RBI double, and Keegan Martin capped the inning with a two-run single to right field to give the Warriors a 4-0 lead.
After Keiser cut the deficit in half with two runs in the top of the third, Webber immediately responded with five more runs in the bottom half. Mike Cuello opened the scoring in the inning by crossing home on a bases-loaded walk from Schulz. Martin then reached on a fielding error that allowed Gisriel to score, Ty Mathews delivered a two-run single to left, and Cuello later drew another bases-loaded walk to push the Warriors ahead 9-2.
The Warriors continued to pour it on in the fourth, scoring six runs to take full control. Schulz drove in David Zamora with a single to center, Mathews followed with a two-run double to left center, Jalen Martinez added a two-run double to right, and Gisriel brought Martinez home with an RBI single to center. Webber added its final run in the sixth when Nitch lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Cuello and stretching the lead to 16-4.
Mathews led the Warriors offensively in the win over Keiser, going 3-for-5 with a double, four RBIs and a run scored. Schulz finished 2-for-3 with a double, three RBIs, three runs scored and a walk, while Martinez went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run. Gisriel, Nitch and Jaslove each recorded two hits, while Martin added three RBIs. On the mound, Tyler Helton earned the win in relief, throwing 2.1 innings with two strikeouts, while Noah Schoncheck closed the game with two scoreless innings and one strikeout.
In the second game against Southeastern, the Fire jumped ahead with two runs in the second and two more in the third before Webber got on the board in the fourth. Mathews provided the spark with a solo home run to left center, cutting the Southeastern lead to 4-1.
Southeastern extended its advantage with three runs in the sixth, but the Warriors answered with a four-run seventh to climb back into the game. Zamora scored on an RBI single from Martin, Jaslove came home on an RBI single by Tugg Hollandsworth, and Martinez followed with a two-run single up the middle to bring in Hollandsworth and Martin, trimming the deficit to 7-5.
The momentum did not hold, however, as Southeastern answered with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to push the lead back to five. Webber was held scoreless over the final two innings, allowing the Fire to take the 10-5 decision.
Hollandsworth led Webber at the plate in game two, going 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Martin finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, a walk and a run, while Martinez went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a walk. Mathews added the solo home run, and Steven Nitch also recorded a hit. Gregory Bori took the loss for Webber after starting on the mound, while Zach Hessler, Mason Veronezi, Tyler Helton and Brandon Vazquez all appeared in relief.
The loss to the Fire eliminated the Warriors from the SUN Conference Tournament, and they will now await their NAIA Opening Round destination.
For the latest and most up-to-date information on Warrior Athletics. Please visit www.webberathletics.com. Follow us on Twitter- @WebberAthletics, Instagram- @Webber_Athletics, and Facebook by searching Webber International University Athletics.
