LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College baseball team was unable to hold on in the final inning with a 17-8 loss against No. 9 Rollins College Saturday afternoon at Henley Field.
The Mocs (29-14, 14-9 SSC) tied the game in the bottom of the eighth but were unable to catch up in a busy ninth inning. The Tars (30-12, 19-4 SSC) scored 10 runs in the ninth, including a grand slam to take the lead and eventually a 17-8 win.
Rollins opened the game with a quick run scored with no outs but a great double play and flyout prevented any additional runs in the top of the first. Florida Southern responded with two runs and took the lead in the home half of the inning after an RBI single by
Drew Cavanaugh and a fielder's choice from
Bryce Safferwich for the second run.
After a scoreless second, the Tars scored three in the top of the third to take the lead. RC had back-to-back RBI hits and capitalized on an error for the runs and a 4-2 lead into the bottom third. Another strong inning by the Tars in the fourth extended their lead to five after four hits and back-to-back three-run innings.
After an uneventful few innings, the Mocs scored in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single by
Mitch Donofrio to send Safferwich home. FSC added another two runs off an error and a sacrifice fly by
Jevin Relaford for a 7-5 Rollins advantage through six.
Evan Mobley relieved starter
Aric McAtee and had a productive two innings, keeping the Tars scoreless in the sixth and seventh inning with the Mocs only down by two.
A big eighth inning for the Mocs as
Nick Wells, Donofrio, and
Rohsean Riley had singles for a bases-loaded situation and no outs. A wild pitch brought one home and an RBI by
El'Rico Riley brought in another for a 7-7 tie in the bottom eighth.
Justin Wit entered in the eighth and continued his work in the ninth but after a walk and single,
Collin Camarigg relieved Wit with no outs and bases loaded after Camarigg's first batter. An RBI single led to the first run in the top of the ninth and a grand slam by Coleman created a 12-7 deficit with no outs. Tars added another five runs late with 10 scored in the ninth, the most runs allowed by the Mocs in a single inning.
Mocs managed a couple of hits and an RBI by Wells in the bottom of the ninth, but it was not enough as the game ended with a 17-8 Rollins win.
The Mocs will wrap up its series against the Tars tomorrow, April 30, set for a 12 p.m. start at Henley Field. Be sure to follow Florida Southern Mocs on social media for any schedule updates.
