LAKELAND, Fla. (April 6, 2007) ' The Rollins
baseball team defeated No. 12 Florida Southern 7-6 in 10 innings at
Henley Field on Friday night.' The Tars improved to 22-15 overall
and 7-6 in Sunshine State Conference play, and the Moccasins
dropped to 28-9, 4-4.
Senior shortstop Ryan McKenzie led the Tars at the plate, going
2-4 with one run and two RBI.' Rollins also received two hits each
from junior left fielder Mike Crane and junior first baseman
Stefano Foggi.' Senior right-hander Jon Wano (5-3) picked up the
win in his first relief outing of the year, pitching the final two
and one third innings of the game.' Freshman left-hander Danny
Clark lasted seven and two thirds innings as the Tars' starter,
giving up five runs, four earned, on seven hits and three
walks.
Third baseman Arden McWilliams (2-4, two doubles, two runs, one
RBI) and center fielder Kyle Patrick (2-5, triple, one RBI) led the
Florida Southern lineup.' Reliever Brad Davidson (3-2) was credited
with the loss after allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in
one and one third innings.
Rollins scored one run in each of the first two innings, but
Florida Southern came back with three in the bottom of the second
to take the early 3-2 lead.' The Moccasins extended their lead with
one more in the fourth, and Rollins responded with a run of their
own in the fifth.' Down by one in the top of the eighth, freshman
right fielder Phil Hendricks put the Tars up by one with a two-run
double to right center field.' FSC tied the game with a solo
homerun by right fielder Will Cherry in the bottom of the eighth,
and neither team scored in the ninth, pushing the game into extra
innings.
Freshman second baseman Ryan Luker walked with one out in the
top of the 10th, and he advanced to third on an errant pickoff
attempt by Davidson.' Sophomore designated hitter Jesse More, up
for the first time after entering the game as a pinch runner,
brought Luker home on a squeeze play.' Sophomore catcher Jason
Cutlip walked, and More and Cutlip advanced to second and third on
a double steal.' The Tars scored their final run on a sacrifice fly
to center field by McKenzie.' The Moccasins scored one in the
bottom of the 10th on a solo homerun by first baseman Fred Popp,
but Wano held on for the win.
Rollins will return to Henley Field on Saturday, April 7 at 1:00
p.m. for a doubleheader to finish the conference series at Florida
Southern.' Fans can listen to all the action live on the Tars
Sports Network at www.RollinsSports.com.
