Baseball Rallies Past Monmouth

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Elms College baseball squad used a five-run sixth inning rally to defeat Monmouth (Ill.), 6-4, in a non-conference game at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic Monday morning.

The Fighting Scots grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opening inning as senior Rashaan Fox (Chicago, Ill.) singled home sophomore Ryan Sparks (Mattoon, Ill.) with two outs. Monmouth extended their advantage to 3-0 behind an RBI double from sophomore Logan Smith (Williamsfield, Ill.) in the second, and Sparks scoring on passed ball in the fifth.

The Blazers mounted their comeback with an offensive surge in the sixth inning where Elms batted through the order. The first run came around as senior Brady Forrest (Hampden, Mass.) scored on an RBI single from junior Brian Hungerford (New Preston, Conn.). With the bases loaded, sophomore Stephen Harrison (Southbury, Conn.) knocked an RBI single, followed by an RBI single from junior Nolan Medeiros (Taunton, Mass.), to knot the game at 3-3. The Blazers pushed ahead 5-3 on a two-run single from freshman Zach Lawrence (Colchester, Conn.).

Monmouth chipped into their deficit as freshman Grant Myers (Rock Island, Ill.) scored on a fielding error, and put another run in scoring position, but Elms junior Kyle Bartlett (Huntington, Mass.) closed the door on the Scots, forcing a ground out and a strike out. The Blazers added an insurance run in the top of the ninth as Hungerford delivered a leadoff double, and came around to score on an RBI single from sophomore Jordan Zima (Berlin, Conn.) to secure the 6-4 win.

The Blazers tallied 13 hits in the win, led by three hits from Hungerford and Zima. Bartlett (1-0) earned the win in relief, holding Monmouth hitless in two-plus innings with four strikeouts. Junior Brian Langdon (Beacon Falls, Conn.) registered his first save of the season, dealing two perfect frames with three strikeouts. Elms freshman Michael Bombard (Chicopee, Mass.) made his first career start, allowing three runs, two earned, on eight hits with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Fighting Scot freshman Dillon Frieden (0-1; Monmouth, Ill.) took the loss, surrendering five runs on six hits with two strikeouts.

The Blazers improve to 2-3 on the season, while Monmouth drops to 1-3 overall. Elms will return to the diamond for a doubleheader against Emerson College at the Player Development Complex Wednesday morning. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 9:00 a.m.

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