WINTER PARK, Fla. –
Junior center fielder Taylor Ferguson registered five RBIs on two
doubles to lead the Rollins College baseball team to a 9-3 win over
the Bentley University Falcons in non-conference action, Monday
evening at Alfond Stadium
With the win, the Tars (6-3) complete the sweep of the Falcons
(0-3) as they prepare for its conference opener.
Rollins out-hit the Falcons 16-4 as senior right fielder Jesse
More recorded four singles and a double to finish the evening,
5-for-5 with four runs scored. Ferguson trailed with three hits,
while shortstop Justin Yount went 2-for-4 with two runs
scored.
Junior Ryan Luker increased his hitting streak to eight
games after he hit an RBI-single in the fifth inning.
Starter Danny Clark (1-0) pitched seven effective innings
allowing three hits for one run with one walk and six strike outs
to earn the victory. Steven Gropler came in for relief in the
eighth inning and was perfect surrendering no hits with one strike
out. Robbie Pagano closed out the game and allowed two
runs on one hit.
Falcons' starter Matt Boudrow was dealt the loss going three
innings giving up one run. Blaine McLean and Dan Murphy came and
finished the game for Bentley, surrendering 10 hits and seven runs
combine.
In the bottom of the third inning with the scored tied at zero,
More led off the inning with a double, a liner over the left
fielders head. A pair of ground balls advanced More to third and
home on the RBI by Bennett to take a 1-0 lead.
The advantage doubled in the next inning when left fielder Ryan
Maddern drilled a one-out sharp shot up the middle. After a
stolen base, Maddern moved over to third on catcher Ryan
Harvey's groundball. With two outs, an error by the third
baseman proved costly as third baseman Michael
Garczynski reached safely scoring Maddern. The freshman,
Garczynski eventually was picked off down the third base line after
he advanced two bases on a stolen base and a passed ball,
respectively.
The Falcons cut the deficit in half in the following half inning
with a pair of base hits and a walk. Second baseman Charlie
Pagliarulo drew a walk and reached third on the following hit by
right fielder James Roche. With runners on the corners, third
baseman Ross Curley tallied one of Bentley's three RBI hits with a
blast to left field. Clark settled down and finished the inning
striking out designated hitter Greg Bagget and forcing Mark Lane to
ground out to first.
The Tars began to distance themselves from the Falcons in the fifth
with two runs. More and Ferguson hit one-out singles to put
runners on the corners. After a balk by pitcher Blaine McLean,
More scored and advanced Ferguson to second. After a Bennett
groundout pushed Ferguson to third, Luker drove in Ferguson with
his single through the right side under the out-stretched arm of
Falcons' first baseman, Chris Hardy.
Neither team scored in the six, but Rollins added five more runs,
two in the seventh and three in the eighth all coming from
Ferguson. With Yount and More on first and second, Ferguson laced
a double toward right center scoring both Tar runners. In a
similar situation in the eighth, Ferguson had the bases loaded and
smashed a shot to center field with a base-clearing double.
In the top of the ninth, the Falcons tacked on two runs, but could
only cut the deficit to six before Pagano secured the Tars' sixth
victory.
Rollins returns to Alfond Stadium for its conference opener against
the Saint Leo Lions, Friday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m.
