Titans Score 2-1 Victory Over Broward

A taut baseball game of high drama ended on a technicality on Friday as Eastern Florida posted a crucial 2-1 victory over Broward College at Bruce Bochy Field.

The Titans maintained their hold on first place in the FCSAA Southern Conference, improving to 13-7. Broward, tied for third with Palm Beach State, fell to 12-11.

Trailing 2-1 in the top of the ninth inning with one out and a runner at first base, Broward's Kyle Vesnesky struck out and was called for batter's interference. The home plate umpire ruled Vesnesky interfered with Eastern Florida catcher Gian Jimenez's throw to second to in pursuit of baserunner J.C. Garcia, ending the game.

Broward broke out on top 1-0 in the fourth as Rayden Orgando scored from third on a botched Eastern Florida run-down play involving Broward's Dijendrick Croes.

Orgando reached after being hit by a pitch from Titan starter Blair Calvo, one of four batters Calvo struck and one of five on the night.

 Gabriel Garcia's fly out to centerfield initiated the sequence.

The Titans evened things in the bottom of the fourth as Sammy Duran, who walked and advanced on an errant pick off throw from pitcher Stephen Chamblee, scored on Reuben Garcia's high bouncer over second baseman Vesnesky.

Both teams had their chances to score more, Broward loading the bases with no outs in the sixth and two outs in the seventh but to no avail.

Calvo struck out two consecutive batters to escape the sixth-inning jam. He left the game in the seventh, handing things over to reliever Tim Luth. Luth walked the first two batters he faced but induced a fly out to center to end the threat.

That set the stage for the Titans to plate what proved to be the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

Manny Rodriguez got his second hit of the night and scored all the way from first on Norberto Navarro's ringing double to the center-left gap on an inside fastball.

"It was a great night," said Navarro.

The Titans then loaded the bases but couldn't score, leaving it to Luth to pitch the final two innings in which he faced six batters, not allowing a hit but hitting a batter.

Calvo finished the night with 6 2/3 innings pitched allowing just two hits, recording four strikeouts, hitting the four batters and allowing two walks.

"We pitch in aggressively," Titans head coach Jeff Tam said. "He's (Calvo) has had a lot of run and sink on his ball and Tim got that guy. We don't want to put unnecessary runners on base but if we pitch in aggressively it opens up the rest of the plate for us."

"He's going to have to step up," he said of Luth. "He handled it well early (in the season) and now he's going to have to handle it well late. He and GRod (Gabriel Rodriguez) are going to anchor that back end and Noah (Dyals) is going to get the ball to them and Eddie (Eddie Escribano) is going to help.

"It's going to have to be a team effort to piece it together. He did a great job."

As for Navarro's hit: "If you situational hit and get those timely hits with two outs and just competing with less than two outs and runners on third base you're going to win a lot of baseball games."

Luth said he wasn't feeling any nerves, just trying to make pitches.

"I did the best I could for these guys who are battling out here," he said.

The teams meet again at 2 p.m. Saturday in Davie.

The conference's top two teams earn automatic entry into the NJCAA Region/FCSAA postseason tournament in Lakeland. The third-place team faces a play-in game.