NWF State Staves Off Elimination with 7-5 win

By SETH STRINGER

PHOTO By TOM HAGERTY- Polk State College

That's more like it, defending national champions.

A day after opening its Region 8 title defense with an 11-1, run-ruled loss to St. Johns River State, NWF State fended off elimination Monday in a 7-5 win over Broward in Lakeland.

Next up for the Raiders is a rematch with St. Johns River State today at 10 a.m. The winner moves on in the loser's bracket while the loser's season is done.

Headed into the fifth inning Monday, the Raiders appeared on the brink of elimination.

They trailed 5-4 entering the top of the fifth inning, but Mack Hathcock connected on his second home run of the tournament as part of a 2-for-5, two-RBI night.

An inning later Jarren Pinkney drew a bases-loaded hit by pitch to put the Raiders up 6-5, and Handsome Monica – the hero that kept NWF State's season alive in the Wild Card game with a ninth-inning homer against Manatee – doubled home Hathcock for some insurance.

The game underwent a nearly twohour rain delay before Jake Godfrey tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to cap off a three-inning save where he struck out four and allowed just one hit.

Picking up the win was Corderias Dorsey, who grinded through six innings. The southpaw struck out five and surrendered five earned runs on six hits and a pair of walks.

The Raiders gave him plenty of early run support. Hathcock and FCSAA player of the year Hunter Tackett, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and a RBI, delivered RBI singles in the third and Shawn Feltner ripped a two-run double to center to stake the Raiders to a 4-1 lead. But after striking out the first batter in the third, Dorsey became unglued. Broward batted around for five hits and scored four runs to take a 5-4 lead.

But Dorsey settled down, Godfrey was nearly perfect in relief and the Raiders' offense shook off the rust from Sunday to keep its season alive.