Panthers Top Patriots

The South Florida Community College baseball team rallied from an early seven-run deficit to stun Central Florida Community College by a score of 13-11 in 10 innings on Sunday.

"It was great to play this type of game early in the season," said SFCC coach Rick Hitt. "We didn't quit when we fell behind and it took every arm and every position player to get the job done."

The come-from-behind win improved the Panthers to 2-0 on the season, who knocked off Palm Beach by a score of 10-3 in Saturday's home-opener.

"We hope to build on these two wins because Palm Beach is a good ballclub," Hitt said. "Central Florida is the tenth-ranked team in the state and doesn't lose at home very often."

Trailing 11-5 after six innings, South Florida chipped away at the Patriots lead and tied the contest with two runs in the top of the ninth inning.

"We got some solid relief work from Russell Kastor and Leo Chang," said Hitt. "That gave us a chance to get back in the game."

The Panthers tallied two runs in the top of the 10th inning and held CFCC scoreless in the bottom of the frame to secure the hard-fought win.

Second baseman Tom Sicking led the offense with three hits, while Mat Devlin, Ethan Lovell, Ryan Williams, Chaz Abeln and Greg Smith had two hits each.

Smith had a team-high four RBI, while Chang picked up the win in relief.

SFCC is back in action with a home game against 13th-ranked Seminole Community College on Wednesday with the first pitch at 5 p.m.

"These are two good wins," said Hitt. "We want to keep working hard to stay consistent and get better as a team."