CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College baseball team dropped a doubleheader on Friday, Feb. 3 to Florida Tech to open the 2017 season.
 
GAME ONE
TURNING POINT

• Ryan Sinzenich singled to right field to score Grant McKown and Reid Neil to place Florida Tech in front in the top of the seventh, 6-4. The Panthers never relinquished the lead the rest of way. The RBI-single was set up by back-to-back, bases loaded walks to tie the contest.

 
KEY STATS/NOTES

• Kyle Smith, Austin Warkentin and Hunter Austin each recorded two hits in the contest. Smith and Austin each drove in two runs.
• Tommy Taborda tossed 5.1 innings in the season-opening start. The sophomore fanned five and allowed two runs on four hits.
• Hunter Mullis took the loss on the bump. Mullis pitched an inning in relief and allowed four runs on three hits with three walks and a strikeout.
• Drew Beyer claimed the win on the mound with 1.1 innings of action in relief. Beyer allowed just two hits and struck out two.
• FIT starter Ty Cohen pitched 5.2 innings with nine strikeouts and four runs allowed on seven hits. Cohen allowed just one earned run in the start.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Florida Tech struck first in the contest with a run in the fourth and another in the sixth to take a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth frame. John Sternagel started the scoring for FIT with a solo home run to lead off the fourth.
• The Panthers second run of the game came as Sinzenich single to right to score McKown.
• Mississippi College got on the board in the home half of the sixth inning. Austin doubled down the left field line with the bases loaded to score Hunter Wilson and Warkentin.
• Smith followed with a two-run, double down the left field line to plate Austin and Fulton Johnson to give MC a 4-2 lead going into the top of the seventh.

 

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GAME TWO
TURNING POINT

• Nick Capra delivered a two-run, double in the eighth inning to put the Panthers up 4-3. The double came with an out in the inning and after MC had taken a 3-2 advantage in the bottom of the seventh.

 
KEY STATS/NOTES

• Colton Johnson recorded the lone multiple hit effort in the contest for the Navy and Gold with a pair of hits.
• Tim Holloway was saddled with the loss with 2.0 innings of work in relief as he allowed four runs on a hit with four walks and four strikeouts.
• Zack Ingram pitched 6.0 innings in his Choctaw debut. Ingram struck out six and allowed two runs on five hits with three walks.
• Luke Lorah received the win on the bump with 2.1 innings of action in relief. Lorah allowed three runs on two hits with three strikeouts and a walk.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Florida Tech for the second straight contest started the scoring, this time coming in the fourth inning as James Gronberg singled up the middle to plate McKown with two outs.
• The Panthers added their second run in the top of the fifth and Sternagel single through the left side to score David Wilson from second base.
• The Choctaws clipped the lead in half in the sixth as Wilson delivered a single to left field to score Casey Echols.
• MC claimed its first lead of the game in the bottom of the seventh as Grant Barber scored on a wild pitch. Colton Johnson knotted the game at 2-all as he scored on FIT throwing error.
• Florida Tech added four insurance runs in the top of the ninth headlined by a Dan Szpik single through the right side to score a pair of runs.

 
NEXT UP
Mississippi College returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 4 as it hosts Florida Tech in a doubleheader to close out the four-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.