TAMPA, Fla. -
The fourth-seeded Florida Southern Moccasins scored three runs
in the bottom of the ninth inning to escape with a 7-6 victory over
fifth-seeded Rollins, Thursday evening in the NCAA Division II
South Region First Round Baseball Tournament at UT Baseball
Field.
With the loss, Rollins snaps its nine-game winning streak and will
play the eighth-seed Albany State, Friday, May 14 at 1:15 p.m. in
an elimination game. On the season, the Tars are 38-18 overall,
while the Mocs improve to 40-14. The meeting marked the
fourth-straight game between the two schools.
Senior Justin Yount led the Tars
with a game and season best four hits and tallied two RBIs. The
senior from Silvis, Ill., increased his batting average to a .309
mark as he recorded four singles.
Designated hitter Scott Chase recorded his
fifth three-hit performance of the season as he finished 3-for-5
with two runs scored and a double. Second baseman Josh Band
recorded two hits to round out the Tars with multiple hits.
Senior Taylor Ferguson, a Sunshine
State Conference First-Team member, recorded a hit and an RBI as Ryan
Luker and right fielder Joey
Manning added an RBI each.
Leading 6-4 in the ninth, the Mocs captured the come-back with a
three-run frame. FSC used five hits to secure the win. A Tyler
Benzel RBI-single cut the Mocs' deficit to one, before Andrew
Grutka's two-run walk-off RBI single was jut out of reach of the
Tars' right fielder Joey
Manning to secure win.
Starter Tim Griffin (11-3) earned
the loss for the Tars in the complete-game effort, his seventh of
the season. After allowing one run in the first inning, Griffin
kept the Mocs scoreless for the ensuing four innings. FSC scored
three runs in the sixth, but was silenced again in the next two
innings. The SSC Pitcher of the Week and the All-South Region
First Team member finished with eight strike outs and allowed just
one walk.
For the Mocs, Daniel Tillman (2-2) earned the win after pitching
the ninth and allowed one hit. Tillman's only two losses of the
season came against the Tars in their three-game conference
series.
Rollins trailed 4-2 in the seventh before scoring three runs to
regain the lead. With two-outs, the Tars rallied off
five-consecutive hits to gain the 5-4 advantage. The Tars added an
insurance in the top of the ninth on a Yount RBI-fielder's
choice.
The Tars got on the board in the first inning after capitalizing on
an error from the Mocs' left fielder Tony Mitchell. Brunetti hit a
two-out double down the left field line to spark the Tars' bat.
First baseman Kevin
Mager followed with a blooper to left, but Mitchell failed to
record the out to allow Brunetti to score. Third baseman Ryan
Luker added an RBI-single to cap the Tars' scoring in the
first.
The Moccasins got their first run in their half of the first after
a pair of base hits. Leadoff hitter Trae Gore began the game with
a single for the Mocs and scored two batters later on a Kelvin
Clark RBI-double.
