Miami Dade Falls to Polk State After Costly Sixth Inning
A tough sixth inning proved to be the difference as Miami Dade College fell 8-3 to Polk State College on Tuesday night.
The Sharks held a slim 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth, but Polk State capitalized on a balk and a grand slam from Zach Lester to flip the momentum and take a commanding 6-3 lead. Miami Dade was unable to recover, as Polk tacked on two more insurance runs in the eighth.
Miami Dade's offense started strong, with David Zamora, Michael Petite, and Adrian Poviones each driving in a run. Poviones and Petite both collected doubles, but the Sharks struggled to generate consistent scoring opportunities against Polk State's pitching staff.
On the mound, Jose Villegas (3.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) started strong, but reliever Enrique Sierra (1.2 IP, 4 ER) ran into trouble in the pivotal sixth. Jeffred Fermin (0-1) took the loss after surrendering two runs in 1.2 innings of work.