The College of Central Florida Patriots (31-18, 21-9) came up short in their Citrus Conference series against Polk State College, losing two of three games. Despite the series loss, the Patriots remain in first place, holding onto a narrow one-game lead with just one weekend left in the regular season. A conference title would secure CF the opportunity to host a first-round regional in Ocala on May 1–3.
CF opened the series on Thursday, April 16, at Goodlett Field with a tough 5-3 loss. Trailing 3-1 in the seventh inning, the Patriots rallied after an Eagle error, followed by a double from Amaury De Jesus and a sacrifice fly from Gio Mendoza to cut the deficit to one. Jose Correa then delivered a clutch double to bring home DeJesus and tie the game at 3-3. However, Polk State responded in the ninth with a two-out RBI single to regain the lead and ultimately secure the win. Mendoza paced the Patriots offensively, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate.
The Patriots bounced back on Saturday, April 18, in Winter Haven with a dominant 6-1 win in game one of the doubleheader. Kaiden Lopez delivered a standout performance on the mound, throwing a complete-game seven-inning gem to improve to 5-0 on the season. He allowed just four hits and one run while striking out seven. The offense was led by Ignacio Salaverria (3-3, 2R, RBI), Bruno Schafer (2-3, RBI), Balint Piros (2-4, 2 RBI), Talan Beckford (3-3, HR#5, RBI).
In the series finale, Polk State pitching proved to be the difference, limiting CF to just five hits in a 7-3 loss. The Patriots' offense came from a pair of home runs by Victor Martinez (his 11th of the year) and Balint Piros (2nd of the year), but it wasn't enough to overcome a strong outing from Polk State's starter and bullpen, who combined to shut down CF over the final innings.
The Patriots now turn their focus to the final conference series against Indian River State College. CF can clinch the Citrus Conference title with a series win this weekend. The first two games will take place in Ocala on Friday, April 24, at noon and 3:00 PM, with the final game set for Saturday, April 25, in Fort Pierce at 2:00 PM.
Admission is free—come out and support the Patriots as they push for a conference championship.