Late rally propels Raiders to 6-4 win over TCC

NICEVILLE, FL - The Northwest Florida State College baseball team entered Friday's contest with Tallahassee just a game behind the Eagles for the league's runner-up spot, which equates to a coveted post-season berth in the Region VIII tournament in two weeks.  For the first six innings, the Raiders found themselves in a less than envious spot, trailing 4-0 and seemingly could not get an ounce of momentum at any point in the game.  The seventh inning, however, flipped the script for the Raiders.  NWF plated four runs to tie the game then rode that momentum the rest of way in route to a huge 6-4 win over the Eagles.  The victory moves the Raiders into a tie for second place with just three games left in the regular season.

Trailing by four runs entering the bottom of the seventh, the Raiders got the bats going. NWF put up four runs behind key hits Austin Kelly, Carlos Guzman, and Mason Janz who all drove in runs in the frame.

After tying it up, the Raiders moved to the eight inning with an opportunity to take the lead and they capitalized.  With runners on, Brant Smith came to the plate and laced a ground ball down the first base line.  The Raider third baseman received a fortunate ricochet off the first base bag, resulting in a key hit to drive in two NWF runs to take a 6-4 lead heading into the ninth inning.

Brandon Smith, who entered the game in the fifth inning, closed the door in the final frame to seal the win for the Raiders.  Smith was spectacular for Northwest Florida.  The right hander allowed just three hits in five innings of work, striking out ten batters and allowing zero runs.

The Raiders scattered 12 hits in the game. Smith, Tyler Kehoe, Janz, and Cavill each had multiple hits.  Smith went 3-for-5 at the plate to lead NWF in hits on the afternoon.

The Raiders now improve to 30-17 overall and 11-10 in conference play.  NWF moves into a tie for second place with TCC, who they will play again on Saturday in Tallahassee at 1:00 PM. 

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