Tars' Bats Spark Series Opening Upset Win

LAKELAND, Fla. (March 26, 2021) – The Tars kicked off their three-game series against the No. 24 Florida Southern Mocs with an upset victory.  The Tars took the high scoring affair 12-9, moving to 4-2 overall, and 4-1 in Sunshine State Conference play.  The Mocs fall to 4-3, and pickup their first SSC defeat, now sitting at 3-1 in conference action.
 
Sam Lafontaine led the Rollins offense on the day.  The graduate student tallied three hits, including a homerun, knocked in four RBI, and scored two runs.  Nick Santucci, Jack Gonzalez, and Ryan Coleman also hit long balls for the Tars.  Coleman and Luke Reidy each registered a pair of RBI.  Carson Hauben got the start for Rollins, picking up his first win of the year.  Austin Long, who tossed 2.2 innings in relief, gave up just a lone run.  Kramer struck out seven over his 2.2 innings.  Steven Swift threw a scoreless inning to close the game, earning his first save.
 
Vaun Brown paced the Mocs at the plate.  The senior went 4-5 with a pair of homeruns, a double, five RBI, and four runs scored.  Andrew Williamson picked up the loss, giving up five runs over two innings.
 
The Tars started the scoring early with Gonzalez lofting a solo homerun to right center in the top of the first inning.  The Mocs would pull level in the bottom of the frame courtesy of a pair of doubles, one by Brown, the leadoff man, then another two batters later, by Jacob Teter.
 
Rollins inched back in front after Williamson lost control in the second.  The righty loaded the bases with a pair of walks and hit batter, before plunking Luke Reidy and putting Rollins up 2-1.  Again, the Mocs would respond, taking advantage of sloppy play by the Tars to take the lead in the bottom of the frame.  Teter sent a sacrifice fly to right field, and a Rollins error allowed a second run to score on the play, making the tally 3-2 after two innings.
 
Rollins would open up the game in the third, grabbing a lead they would not give back.  Cody Oerther started the rally with a double, before a walk and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for Sam Lafontaine.  The Mocs went to the bullpen, but Lafontaine responded by driving reliever Collin Camarigg's ball over the right field fence for a grand slam, putting the Tars up 6-3.  Nick Santucci would get in on the action later in the inning knocking a solo shot of his own over the right field wall.  The Mocs were poised to pull Rollins back again in the bottom of the third, but were held to single score.  Long took the mound in relief for Rollins and picked up a key strikeout to get Rollins out of a bases loaded jam.
 
Both pitching staffs would settle down for the middle innings, but the bats for both teams came alive again late.  The Tars grew the lead to 8-4 with a Kyle Bullock RBI single in the sixth, but Brown lifted a homerun to left for the Mocs in the bottom of the inning to keep the deficit at three.
 
Brown would plate another pair of runs with his second homerun of the game, making the score 8-7 after seven.  Ryan Coleman would balloon the Rollins lead back to three with a deep, two-run, shot of his own in the top of the eighth.  Kramer would send the game to the ninth by striking out three straight Mocs in the bottom of the frame.
 
Rollins would manufacture their final insurance runs in the top of the ninth.  The Tars loaded the bases with three singles, including a pair of bunts, before Reidy would walk home his second RBI of the game.  Joe Cosgrove would cap the Rollins scoring with a sacrifice fly, making the score 12-7 heading into the final at bat.  The Mocs would plate a pair in the bottom of the ninth, but the Tars were able to hold on for the upset.
 
UP NEXT:
The Tars will return home for game two of the three game series.  The Mocs will make the short trip up I-4 on Saturday, March 27.  First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
 
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