Pitching Paces NWF Baseball to Pair of Wins

LAKELAND, Fla. – Five pitchers led Northwest Florida baseball to a pair of wins on Friday to open the season. The Raiders defeated St. Petersburg, 5-1, and Miami Dade, 2-1.

In the opener against St. Petersburg, Beck Way struck out seven batters in four innings of work before Jackson Boyd tossed three innings of relief adding five more punchouts. Nic Nolan went 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs, while Justice Thompson hit a solo home run to cap a two-hit game. Noah Bailey drove in two runs including one on a seventh-inning double.

In the victory over Miami Dade, Jacob Kush fanned six batters in four innings on the mound. Dylan DeLucia pitched the final four innings striking out three. Thompson doubled home a run in the second inning to open the scoring and Brandon Riera launched a solo home run in the fifth to add the decisive score. Miami Dade struck for its only run on a wild pitch in the sixth and managed just three hits in the game.

Northwest Florida (2-0) returns to action Saturday with games against South Florida State at 9 a.m. Fans can follow the action via live stats HERE.

For more information on Northwest Florida athletics, visit NWFRaiders.com or follow us on Twitter at @NWF_Raiders.