The LLCC baseball team traveled to Avon Park, Florida on Sunday afternoon to take on the Panthers from South Florida State College in a single nine inning game.  The Loggers (4-1) squeaked out a 3-2 win in very windy playing conditions, backed by stellar performances from  freshman starting southpaw Tristan Weaver, Logger shortstop Nick Maton, and freshman outfielder Jonathan Walder.
 
The game was scoreless through the first four innings until Lincoln Land plated two runs in the top of the fifth inning.  Logger's left fielder CJ Fleming (1 for 4) led the inning off with a single to left and was sacrificed to second base on Daulton Fletcher's bunt.  Rick Dour (2 for 4) followed with a walk and Maton (3 for 5) loaded the bases with his infield single.  Walder (1 for 2, 2 rbi)  then drove in Fleming and Dour with his single to center, giving the Loggers a 2-0 lead.
 
Lincoln Land extended their lead to 3-0 in the top of the seventh.  LLCC second baseman Xavier Collier (2 for 4) led the inning off with a single up the middle.  After a Maton double and a Walder walk, Collier scored on catcher Micheal Ryan's sacrifice fly to left center field.
 
The Panthers did not lay down, as they finally got to Weaver in the bottom half of the seventh.  Tristan walked leadoff man Equon Smith to start the inning.  South Florida's Pedro Castellan  and Quentin Davis (2 for 4) followed with back to back singles to score Smith and cut into the Logger lead.  Weaver then took the 3-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth, and again would surrender a single run on a lead off solo homerun by Panther right fielder Damani Thomas.
 
After a quiet top of the ninth from the Logger offense, Lincoln Land handed the ball to closer Nick Maton to finish it out.  Maton got two quick outs with a ground out to short and a deep fly out to center before Davis struck again with a single to center.  Davis then stole second to get into scoring position before Maton got cleanup man Evan Schaffer to ground out to short to end the game.
 
Weaver (1-0) earned his first collegiate win, pitching eight strong inning, allowing only two earned runs on five hits, one walk, one hit batter, and he struck out five. Maton (1-0) picked up his first save of the season.  The Loggers finished with nine hits in the game and left eleven runners on base.
 
Lincoln Land (4-1) will take on Pasco Hernando State College in New Port Richey, Florida at 11:00est.