SANFORD, FL — A seven-run bottom of the fourth inning for the Seminole County Scorpions lifted them to a 10-3 over the Sanford River Rats on Monday night,

The Sanford River Rats recorded 11 hits on the night, but the River Rats were unable to advance runners home. 

For the Scorpions, all of their runs came in the third through fifth innings including the seven-run fourth in which 12 batters came up to the plate for the Scorpions.

Despite the tough loss, the River Rats had some success throughout the night.

Jackson Muldowney (Indian River State) scored the first run of the game for either team after he nailed a single up the middle gap of the infield. He stole second base and eventually rounded third to score on an error by Scorpions pitcher Christian Simon (Montevallo) as he tried to pick off Muldowney at first.

Azim Nobles (Seminole State) made his first start as the designated hitter since rejoining the roster off the inactive list a few games ago. In the top of the fifth, Nobles recorded his first hit of the season after a single that lined through the gap between shortstop and third base. Nobles now has only nine at-bats on the season and is hoping to see some more action as the season winds down.

Jarrod Cande (Florida Southern), Justin Farmer (FIU) and Francis Villaman (FIU) all had two hits on the night and were the only River Rats to have multi-hit games. Cande highlighted the trio with a pair of stand-up doubles on hits that each bounced off the outfield wall.

Relief pitcher Amaury Telemaco Jr. (Lynn) came into the game in the bottom of the fifth inning as Jeremy Orbik (Stetson) started and was followed by Joel Rivero (St. Thomas). Telemaco Jr. pitched the remainder of the games and only allowed one run and three hits with five strikeouts in his appearance. With four innings pitched, Monday night was Telemaco Jr.’s longest outing of the season.

Telemaco Jr. had a combination with his fastball and 12-6 curveball pairing well together which fooled many Scorpion hitters.

“Consistency was key tonight as this was the first time I’ve thrown more than three innings since I can remember,” Telemaco Jr. said. “At first I was a little shaky with the fastball… then I just needed to repeat the curveball more to finish batters.”

The Sanford River Rats (14-13) and the Seminole County Scorpions (5-19-1) will be back in action Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. for the second game of the three-game stadium showdown. The River Rats remain in third place in the league standings. 

As for the Scorpions, they now solely sit in fifth place now with their victory. They broke the tie at the bottom of the standings with the Winter Garden Squeeze, and the Scorpions would currently make the playoffs with their current place in the league.

Zach Miles (University of Georgia)