Preseason Classic: Seminole St. vs. St. Pete Recap

BRADENTON, FL - Game 3 of the 2019 Preseason Classic featured the first of our two Junior College matchups. The Raiders of Seminole State College took on the Titans of St. Petersburg College in what can only be described as a offensive slugfest. After nearly four hours, the Raiders prevailed 22-14 over St. Pete.

Seminole St. trotted out to an early 6-0 lead after their first two trips to the plate, scoring five runs in the 2nd inning alone. SS Ed Surinach came up with the first big hit of the inning, driving in two runs on a hard hit ball to the gap. His middle infield counterpart, Travis Sankovich, followed suit with a double to the left-center gap. The hit train kept rolling from there. Corey King and Alejandro Figueredo added consecutive RBI singles and the lead ballooned to 6-0.

St. Pete appeared to be in trouble as the first two batters of the second inning were retired in order. However, that was not going to stop 2B Dennis Filipovski (Monmouth recruit) from turning on one and launching it over the scoreboard in left field for a solo home run. With two outs, the Titans offensive was kicked into gear. A walk, then a triple by Rodrigo Montenegro made the game 6-2. An RBI single by Jonathan Rodrigues, two straight walks, an infield error, two more singles and we had ourselves a 7-6 ballgame.

The response by Seminole St. was immediate. The Raiders strung together six singles and a walk in the third inning leading to five more runs and an 11-7 advantage.The fourth inning became the the first of only two full innings in which there were no runs scored. St. Pete were able to hold Seminole St. scoreless for three straight innings, while cutting the deficit to 11-10.

The Seminole St. offense would not be held quiet the rest of the game. With one out and no men on, Surinach lifted a ball 396 feet for a solo home run. The St. Pete pitching staff was able to get two outs with no more damage, but they could not close out the game. The Raiders put up seven runs, all with two outs to take an 18-11 lead. Then, they added more four more runs in the top of the 8th to go up 22-11.

St. Pete was able to get back three runs in the bottom of the 8th, but that would be all they could manage, falling 22-14. The game totaled 36 runs on 37 hits.

Seminole St. was led by Justin Holmes (4-for-6, 2B), Alejandro Figueredo (3-for-4, 2 RBI), Ed Surinach (4-for-6, HR, 4 RBI). St. Pete was paced by Dustin Harris (1-for-3, HR, 3 BB), Casey Keller (3-for-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI).