Espinal's hit in ninth lifts baseball team to win
The Eastern Florida State College baseball team defeated Seminole State, scoring in the ninth inning to win 2-1 Wednesday at Bruce Bochy Field
For the second straight game the Eastern Florida State College baseball team won in dramatic fashion.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, freshman Dylan Espinal hit a 1-2 pitch between third and short to score Paul Castillo to give the Titans a 2-1 victory over Seminole State College at Bruce Bochy Field Wednesday night.
Freshman Borris Villa made his first start for the Titans and tossed five shutout innings, allowing one hit and struck out 10 hitters.
Seminole State got on the board first in the top of the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly but Cam Weinberger came in and retired two straight hitters to end the threat.
Weinberger threw 2 1/3 innings, striking out three before getting into trouble in the eighth inning.
With two on and one out, head coach Jeff Tam went to JP Williams. A Seminole State base runner would get picked off first base and then JP Williams recorded the strikeut to end the threat and keep the game tied, 1-1.
Williams would strike out two of the three hitters he faced in the ninth to pick up his second win of the season.
That set the table for Espinal. Andres Ramos led off the inning with a walk, Castillo pinch hit and put down a nice bunt for a base hit. Collier Rutledge's bunt turned into a fielder's choice and a strikeout brought up Espinal with two on and two out. After a balk was called, runners went to second and third. Espinal has at least one hit in all three games this season.
Dylan Owens went 2-for-3 in the game.
On Saturday night, the Titans defeated Polk State 11-10 in 11 innings and are now 2-1 on the season heading into Thursday's game against the State College of Florida Manatee Sarasota. First pitch is at 5 p.m. at Bruce Bochy Field. Admission is free.