JACKSONVILLE, FLA. - The Florida State College at Jacksonville Blue Wave were able to turn in a three-game sweep of ASA Miami on Easter weekend, winning game one on Friday and games two and three on Saturday. The first three-game sweep of the season takes the FSCJ season record to 24-16 (5-6).
Game One - FSCJ 3, ASA 1
The final Friday night game of the regular season turned out to be a fast-paced pitchers dual, with clutch hitting making the difference. FSCJ struck early in the bottom of the first inning with Cam Wademan leading off the game with a double and scoring on an Evan Wickeri sacrifice fly. Xavier Cintron came around to score two batters later on a wild pitch, giving the Wave an early 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, FSCJ made it 3-0 by once again scoring Cintron, this time coming home on Barry Eiseman's 17th double of the season. That score would hold until ASA scratched one in the top of the ninth. Daniel Gaviria (5-2) was masterful again as the Blue Wave Friday starter, delivering eight shutout innings on only 82 pitches, allowing five hits, no walks, and three strikeouts. Patrick Groark earned his sixth save of the season. Eiseman contributed a multi-hit game.
Game Two - FSCJ 9, ASA 3
The first game of Saturday's doubleheader saw the Blue Wave come from behind in the middle innings to take the game. ASA came out to an early 2-0 lead on a two-run home run in the top of the second inning. FSCJ responded with five in the third and four in the fourth to take control of the game. The five-spot in the third came via five hits, a walk, and two Silver Storm errors. After Hunter Bradshaw led off the inning with a double, Jayme Villafane used a bunt single to cause an errant throw and score the Wave's first run. Xavier Cintron followed up with an RBI single of his own, scoring Villafane. After a Barry Eiseman single, Evan Wickeri sent a ball back up the middle to score two more runs. Garrett Chun used an RBI groundout to score Wickeri for the final run of the inning. The fourth inning saw a bit of the same recipe, as Bradshaw led off with a walk before Villafane once again coupled a bunt single with a throwing error to score Bradshaw. Cam Wademan sent a deep flyball to center to score Villafane with a sacrifice fly. Eiseman put an exclamation point on the scoring affair with his first career home run, a two-run shot that was a hard line drive just inside the right field foul pole. FSCJ took a 9-2 lead into the sixth, when ASA plated their final run. Brian Veniard (5-2) picked up the win for FSCJ, going five innings, allowing two hits and two runs with two strikeouts. Eiseman was the big bat at the plate, going 3-for-3.
Game Three - FSCJ 2, ASA 1
Game three reverted back to the low scoring variety of baseball, seeing a nail-biting finish for the Wave. ASA used three hits to score a run in the first and take a 1-0 lead. FSCJ answered in the bottom of the second on a Garrett Chun - Jack Gidcumb double steal to even the game at 1-1. That score would remain until the bottom of the sixth inning when Gidcumb would chase home Evan Wickeri with a sacrifice fly to left center field and give the Blue Wave a 2-1 advantage. Dylan Dudones worked through five hard innings, only allowing one run on five hits and striking out five. Colby Lipovsky and Patrick Groark combined to shutout the last two innings, with Groark earning his third win on the year. Wickeri provided a multi-hit game at the plate.
What's Next?
FSCJ will play host to Palm Beach State College next Saturday for the second time this year, resuming a weather-delayed conference game from April 2, and playing an additional non-conference game for a doubleheader. That will be a 12:00 PM start at Howard Roey Field for the final regular season games of the 2022 campaign. The following week will begin the Sunlakes Conference Tournament, hosted at Pasco-Hernando State College. Times, dates, and brackets will be finalized soon.