Chipola wins Panhandle Opener, 6-3
Late surge from Indians enough to get past Gulf Coast.
In the opening game of Panhandle Conference play, Chipola (22-8, 1-0) battled back to beat Gulf Coast 6-3 Saturday afternoon at Chipola Field.
Gulf Coast struck first, scoring 3 in the fifith.
Chipola rallied in the sixth, scoring 4 runs. Jay Estes led off the inning with a walk. Michael Hickman singled to left. Maurice Cooley then singled to left, scoring Estes. After a strikeout, Tyler Osik crushed a double into the right-center gap, scoring Hickman and Cooley. Te'Kwaan Whyte then singled home Osik, which wound up being the game-winning run.
The Chipola Indians got one-run rallies in the seventh inning and the eighth. In the seventh, Keiner Colmenarez continued his hot streak with a solo homer to right-center. Colmenarez went 2-5, drove in one and scored one run.
Landon Faulkner started for the Indians; he got the no decision. Bowden Francis's (5-0) five strikeouts in relief helped the Indians to victory. Francis scattered five hits over his five innings of work.
Peyton Gray ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with the loss. He lasted just two-thirds of an inning, walked one, struck out one, and allowed five runs.
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