NICEVILLE — After falling behind early, the Northwest Florida State baseball team did Tuesday what good teams do in that situation: They got some good relief pitching and chipped away at the lead.
It was that formula that helped the Raiders prevail 4-3 against L.B. Wallace, a community college from Andalusia, Ala.
The Raiders (10-5) fell behind 3-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning, but pulled back one run in the third and two more in the seventh inning, before scoring the game-winner in the bottom of the eighth.
Kevin Knapp walked to lead off the bottom of the eighth. Jordan Desguin and Nick Masonia followed with singles that loaded the bases. Ian Hok drove in the run with a line drive sacrifice into center field, scoring Knapp.
Meanwhile, relief pitcher Jake Molkentin was shutting down the Saints, allowing three hits and no runs in four innings, while striking out two, to earn the win.
“It was a well-played ball game on both sides,” said Raiders head coach Doug Martin. “Our guys hung in there long enough to get some things done late. But it was just a good game for both teams.”
Masonia was 3 for 5 for NWF State, while Chris Andrews was 2 for 5 with two RBIs.
The win halted a two-game skid for the Raiders.
It was only the second loss for L.B. Wallace, which had started the season 6-1, and the first game for the Saints away from home.
NWF State travels to Andalusia on Thursday where they will play at 3 p.m. against Central Alabama. The Raiders return home Friday for a 1 p.m. contest against Faulkner State.
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NWF State baseball rallies in 4-3 win
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