WINTER PARK, Fla. -
The Rollins College baseball team finished the round robin
portion of the 61st Annual Baseball Week tournament with a 13-8
victory over the Penn Quakers, Saturday at Alfond Stadium.
Junior third baseman Ryan Luker was 5-for-5 with three runs
scored and three RBIs to guide the Tars. Outfielder Bryan
Bennett followed with two home runs and three RBIs as he
finished 3-for-5 with four runs scored.
Senior left fielder Jesse More collected four hits in the
contest to help snap Rollins' three-game losing skid. The
Maitland, Fla., native registered one RBI and a run scored in the
game.
Rollins starter Danny Clark picked up the no decision going five
innings and allowing seven runs, three earned, on seven hits. Alex
Venegas (1-0) pitched the six inning giving up two hits and a
run to earn the victory. Taylor
Smith pitched the final three innings surrendering two hits to
secure his first career save.
For the Quakers (5-5), Reid Terry went 4.1 innings giving up 10
hits and six runs with only one strike out. Pat Brennan (0-1)
suffered the loss allowing four hits and three runs. Tommy
Grandieri and Chris McNulty closed out the pitching for Penn.
The Tars scored at least a run in the first seven innings,
including a four-run sixth inning that secured the victory.
After trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the first, the Tars answered
with a Bennett solo line drive home run to right center to cut the
deficit in half.
In the second, Rollins evened the game at two on More's RBI single,
scoring first baseman Stephen Hiscock. The teams exchanged runs
in the third before Rollins took a 4-3 lead in the fourth.
The Quakers put up four more runs in the top of the fifth
capitalizing on a Tar error. In the bottom of the fifth, Bennett
led off the frame with another solo shot, this time a blast to left
field. After a Luker single up the middle, he advanced to second
on a Eugene Martinez ground out. Luker scored on the
next play, a Hiscock single to center field.
Rollins regained the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth when
it trailed 8-6. The Tars added four runs in the sixth to complete
the comeback. Rollins used six hits to score its four runs. The
Tars added three insurance runs in the seventh to pick up its 15th
victory of the season.
Pending the outcome of the final round robin game (Georgetown vs.
Maine), the Tars could play in the championship game at 7 p.m.
Saturday evening against Maine or in the consolation game, Sunday
at 10 a.m. versus Penn.
