The College of Central Florida (CF) Patriots secured a decisive 9-0 shutout victory over the Polk State College Eagles on Saturday afternoon, splitting the Citrus Conference doubleheader after dropping game one 8-5. The series win pushes the Patriots' overall record to 22-7 and their conference record to 9-6, positioning them in fourth place. Meanwhile, Polk State holds a 19-13 overall record and a 10-5 mark in conference play, tying them for second place.
In the game two triumph, CF relied on a strong pitching performance from three arms. Starter Peyton Fall delivered four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out eight. Jose Paniagua (2-0) took over in relief, throwing two hitless innings and recording a strikeout to earn the win. Karson Lindsey closed out the shutout in the seventh, allowing two hits but keeping the Eagles off the scoreboard. The contest ended early after seven innings due to the conference run-rule.
The Patriots set the tone early, scoring the only run they would need in the first inning when Victor Martinez drove in Marcus Bradshaw, who had been hit by a pitch. CF extended their lead to 3-0 in the third inning with a Miles Curley RBI single and a wild pitch. The game broke wide open in the fourth, as the Patriots plated five runs.
Dawson Harman (2 2Bs, 2R, RBI) doubled home Gio Mendoza (3-4, 2B) to start the rally. After two walks and a wild pitch, Cooper Jones delivered a two-run single, followed by another wild pitch that allowed a run to score. The final run of the game came in the sixth when Bruno Schafer (2-4, RBI) singled home Anthony Diaz, who had tripled.
Earlier in the day, the series opener was a tightly contested matchup before Polk State pulled away late. CF starter Hunter Jones pitched 4.1 innings, allowing just two runs on two hits while striking out eight. Opposing pitcher Jake Echols limited the Patriots to a single run through five innings before CF finally broke through.
Polk State ignited an offensive surge in the final innings, scoring eight runs across the last three frames. Zach Lester tied the game in the fifth with his second home run of the season, followed by a perfectly executed squeeze play to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead.
In the sixth, Liam O'Neil launched his second three-run homer of the series, extending the advantage to 5-1. The Patriots showed resilience, quickly responding with a four-run sixth inning.
A Martinez single drove in a run, and Curley delivered a bases-loaded double to deep center field to tie the game at 5-5. However, CF's defensive miscues and erratic pitching in the seventh allowed Polk State to capitalize. A hit batter, a bunt single, and an error contributed to three decisive runs for the Eagles, sealing their 8-5 victory.
Looking ahead, CF will host Lake-Sumter State College in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Goodlett Field. Conference play resumes Thursday at 3 p.m. when the Patriots face arch-rival Santa Fe College Saints at home.