The River Completes Series Sweep Against St. Pete with Dominant Wins

ST. PETERSBURG, FL- Indian River State College dominated St. Pete College on Saturday, March 15 securing two impressive victories with scores of 20-6 and 15-8. The River now stands at 21-7 overall and 11-4 in the Citrus Conference. With the sweep, Indian River takes a half-game lead over FSW at the top of the conference standings.

Jacob Souza's standout performance powered The River past St. Pete in a commanding 20-6 victory in game one. Souza drove in seven runs on four hits, leading a relentless offensive attack. Indian River wasted no time, scoring ten runs in the first three innings and another ten in the top of the fifth to enforce the mercy rule.

The River racked up 18 hits in the game. Brett Patten, Jason Lashley, Matty Davis, and Jake Weatherspoon each had multiple hits, while Scout Simpson led the team with three walks.

On the mound, Shane Lavin had his shortest outing in recent memory, lasting just three innings while allowing five runs and striking out one. Sophomore Andris Barroso closed out the game, giving up just one run and striking out one over two innings of work.

The offensive momentum carried into game two as The River secured a 15-8 win. Every Indian River player who stepped up to the plate recorded at least one hit in the game.

Indian River struck first in the opening inning with a Jake Weatherspoon RBI single. With the game tied 3-3 in the fourth, Brett Patten delivered a clutch two-run double, followed by a Jason Lashley RBI single to extend the lead to 8-3.

Sammy Beir earned his fourth win of the season, pitching 3.1 innings in relief. He allowed five hits and three runs while striking out three. The River also utilized two additional relievers, Justin Minaberry and Jonathan Wolaver, to close out the game.

Indian River's offense exploded for 19 hits in the game. Maikol Lucena, Scout Simpson, and Jacob Souza each recorded three hits to fuel The River's offensive firepower.

Indian River now gets some much-needed rest before returning to action on Thursday, March 20 when they travel to Seminole State for a key Citrus Conference matchup against the Raiders.

Follow all things Pioneer Athletics on Instagram and Twitter: @irscathletics