Baseball team tops Palm Beach State in conference game

The Eastern Florida State College baseball team came storming back from early deficit to defeat Palm Beach State College Saturday afternoon at Bruce Bochy Field.

The Titans, who were down 3-0 after two innings, defeated the Panthers 7-3 in a Southern Conference game.

Eastern Florida State College scored twice in the third inning and then Alvaro Valdez blasted his first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fifth to give the Titans a 4-3 lead. The Titans would add a run in the sixth as Dilan Espinal walked, stole second and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Kevin Silva.

Then in the seventh, Collier Rutledge hit his third home run of the season, a solo shot. Alejandro Rodriguez singled, stole second and scored on an errant throw into centerfield in the eighth inning. 

Starting pitcher Pablo Barquero Jackson picked up his sixth win of the season, allowing three runs over six innings with four strikeouts.

Catcher Austin Bates hit a double in the fifth inning to extend his hitting streak to 24 straight games.

The Titans are 11-9 in the conference and will travel to Palm Beach State on Monday looking for the series win. Eastern Florida State College is in second place in the Southern Conference with four games remaining.