BOX SCORES (GAME ONE l GAME TWO)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2021) – The Florida National baseball team (0-2) opened the 2021 season with a doubleheader at the No. 15-ranked Keiser Seahawks on Saturday.
The Conquistadors were unable to pull off the upset, dropping both games, 7-3, and 16-1 (7), from Silvester Field on the campus of Keiser University.
In game one, FNU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as junior Manuel Blanco opened the 2021 campaign with a lead-off double. Blanco led all Conquistadors with 3-for-4 outing with an RBI and a run scored. Two batters later, Blanco crossed home plate on an RBI by outfielder Ezequiel Valdez Florentino (1-for-4, 1 RBI) as the Conquistadors took the early 1-0 lead.
FNU kept the Seahawks off the board through the first four innings. But, a three-run fifth gave KU a 3-1 advantage. Keiser added one run in the sixth and three more in the seventh to extend its lead, 7-1.
The Conquistadors answered in the top of the eighth as Blanco drove in his first run of the season with a single followed by and RBI-double by Edgar Perez (1-for-4, 1 RBI) to cut the deficit, 7-3.
Right-hander Jose Paradas (0-1) was saddled with the loss, allowing four runs on six hits with one strikeout in two innings pitched. Starter Brandon Torres lasted three innings, allowing just two hits and striking out three.
In game two, the Seahawks jumped out on the Conquistadors, scoring nine runs in the first three innings. Francisco Perez De Leon got FNU on the board with an RBI single in the top of the fourth but KU tacked on seven more runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Leading the Conquistadors at the plate were Perez De Leon (1-for-3, 1 RBI) and Valdez Florentino (1-for-2, 2B, 1R).
Right-handed junior Gary Matthews suffered the loss, giving up four runs on two hits in one inning of action.
The Conquistadors a slated to host the Trinity Baptist Eagles in a doubleheader on Tuesday, January 26. First pitch for game one is set for 2:00 p.m.
