April 27, 2008
PENSACOLA, Fla. - The University of West Florida Argos baseball team ended their season on Sunday by beating the 15th ranked Valdosta State University Blazers 11-6 at home. The Argos bounced back strongly, after the Blazers beat them twice during Saturday's double-header. UWF pounded out 17 hits in the season finale, to go out with a win.
The Argos scored an impressive five runs in the first inning against the Blazers top pitchers, thanks to some outstanding batting. Kyle Andrews got things started by doubling to center field, and then Greg Pron singled one out later. Senior Jon Reed, playing in his final game, drove in Andrews with a single, while Pron went to third. Scott Beckwith was able to reach base, and allow Reed to move to second, but Pron was thrown out and home. Steven Bingert then singled through the left side and loaded the bases for the Argos. Craig Westcott was able to send Reed and Beckwith home on a double, while Bingert went to third. Catcher Tyler Hastings singled to right center and cleared the bases, driving in both Bingert and Westcott.
The Blazers switched pitchers, and after Eric Kroll singled up the middle, he was picked off to end the first inning of scoring, with the Argos getting seven hits and five runs on the Blazers.
West Florida stating pitcher Billy Whitaker, kept the Blazers scoreless, but the Argos kept hitting the ball well. In the third inning, Westcott, Andrews and Pron each got a hit. Hastings scored, as did Westcott, and after Kroll made it on base by being walked, he was able to race home too. The Argos scored three runs off of three hits to end the third inning.
Billy Whitaker continued to cruise along with help from the Argos defense, and held Valdosta State to zero runs in five innings, until the sixth when they let one Blazer make it home to score. Before Whitaker sat down in the seventh, he struck out four batters and only gave up three runs.
After the Blazers were done batting in the sixth, the Argos went to work again and scored three more runs off of three hits. Hastings, Andrews and Brewer kept the hits coming for the Argos in the sixth.
In the seventh inning, Sho Kohata tried to boost his Blazers, as he hit a grandslam homerun, but it wouldn't be enough to beat the Argos on this day. The Blazers would score once more in the eighth inning, and the Argos closed out the win by putting out the Blazers in the ninth. Offensively, the Argos finished the game with 17 hits total for the day. Whitaker took the win for the Argos and ended his pitching season with a 4-2 record.
The Argos had three seniors play their last game on Sunday and after the game was over, Jon Reed, Nick Presley and David Pedro talked about their final game at Pelican Park for UWF and commented on their final season as Argos. "We came up short, and sometimes that's how it is," Reed said. "I did my best to help out and I'm glad we ended on a good note." Reed played left field for the Argos and had two hits, batted in one run and he scored once in his last game for the Argos.
Nick Presley pitched five innings on Saturday for the Argos and remembered how pumped the Argos were coming into this season. "Last year we set the school record for wins and we were really looking forward to playing well this year," Presley said. "I'm glad we ended on a high note, even though this season was disappointing, and hopefully the other guys next year can take something from us as we leave."
David Pedro pitched for the Argos in the final game, and was very disappointed his season ended the way it did. "It's a tough way to go out, playing in your last game," Pedro said. "It stinks! Going out with a win today doesn't make up for the rest of the season." It was a tough luck season for the Argos, as they had several close games where the ball bounced the wrong way at crucial times. The 2007 GSC Champions will not get a chance to defend their title, as the season came to end with a 20-32 record.
