Official Website of the 2009 FCSL Champions

Cochcroft Throws Gem in 2-1 Victory Over Suns

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 9:12am

Jason Cochcroft (USC Aiken) was stellar on Tuesday night, going eight innings, allowing only four hits and one earned run while collecting six strikeouts.  Cochcroft showed incredible command, forcing the Suns to swing the bat, never giving the Suns a free pass all night.  The Lightning would give Cochcroft two runs of support late in the game to give him the win, and with one game left, the Lightning look well oiled heading into the playoff week.  “That was by far the most dominating game,” Coach Viola said, “I think the second best game we pitched as an individual starter besides the one that Nic (Kovacs) threw earlier in the year,” Viola compared, referencing Kovacs complete game shutout early in the season.  “Total control throughout.”

Cochcroft would give up his only run of the night, and the only run the Suns managed to get, in the first inning.  An infield single by the Suns started the inning, a sacrifice bunt moving the runner into scoring position before being driven in by an RBI single to left.  Lightning defense would end the inning with a 5-4-3 double play.  The next six innings were all about Cochcroft, setting the Suns down in order in every inning until the eighth.  In the eighth inning, Cochcroft would give up his final hit, allowing four batters to come to the plate.  His dominating performance showed, never once allowing a runner to make it past first after the first inning.

In the seventh inning, down by a score of 1-0, the Lightning’s third baseman Matt Pierpont (Winthrop), who has been heating up in the past two games, sent a two out pitch deep over the left field fence to even the game at one apiece.  “Pierpont’s homerun was big,” Viola said, as the Lightning had left several base runners stranded in previous innings.  In the bottom of the eighth, the Lightning would put one more run across the plate with the help of the Suns.  Robert Beary (South Carolina) lead the inning off with a walk and stole second base.  Michael Gonzalez (East Tennessee State) then came to the plate and ripped a scorcher to the right fielder, Beary tagging on the play and forcing a throw to third.  Unfortunately for the Suns, the third baseman could not handle the throw, and Beary came home to score the game winning run as the ball rolled to the fence.

In the ninth inning, Dylan Ortega (Brevard CC) came in to collect the save, setting down the first two batters in two pitches.  After walking the third batter, catcher Will Blankenship (West Virginia Wesleyan) came up throwing, catching the Suns runner trying to steal second base to end the game.

The Lightning play their final regular season game at home against the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs on Wednesday, July 28^th, at 7:00PM at Pat Thomas Stadium.

Trey Garant (University of Michigan)