Monmouth College Edges Baseball, 11-9

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Elms College baseball suffered an 11-9 loss to Monmouth College (Ill.) in game two of action on day three of the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.

With the loss, Elms moves to 2-4 overall.

Monmouth built an early 7-0 lead scoring four runs in second and three in the third frame before Elms answered with five runs in the bottom of the third.

Junior third baseman Geoff Frost (Ludlow, Mass.) got the scoring started when he reached on an error and advanced to second allowing senior catcher Zach Dreher (Naugatuck, Conn.) to push across the first run. Senior first baseman Alex King (Lebanon, Conn.) then cracked a two-run double and came full circle when freshman right fielder Arthur Tisi (Somers, N.Y.) reached on a Monmouth miscue to set the score at 7-4. The third error of the inning by the defense allowed the Blazers to secure its fifth tally of the frame and set the score at 7-5.

King pulled Elms closer in the bottom of the fourth when he delivered an RBI base hit plating Frost to cut the Blazers' deficit to one at 7-6.

After a scoreless fifth stanza, the Fighting Scots used single runs in the sixth and seventh innings and two in the eighth to extend the lead to 11-6.

Elms rallied once again when Frost lofted a sacrifice fly to center field allowing sophomore shortstop Nolan Medeiros (Taunton, Mass.) to score in the bottom of the eighth and pull the Blazers to within four at 11-7.

In the bottom of the ninth, junior center fielder Brady Forrest (Hampden, Mass.) singled in freshman pinch-hitter Jordan Zima (Berlin, Conn.) who walked earlier in the frame making it 11-8. Junior pinch-hitter Kevin Dwire (Ellington, Conn.) touched the dish with Elms' ninth run when Medeiros flied out to left field but the Blazers' rally stopped there as Monmouth held on for the narrow victory.

King finished 3 for 4 with three RBI and a run scored while Dreher went 3 for 5 at the plate with a walk and a run scored.

Forrest and sophomore second baseman Aedin Wadja (Lebanon, Conn.) each added two hits in the losing effort.

Freshman pitcher Cody Lemieux (Torrington, Conn.) pitched seven innings and allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 10 hits with two strikeouts and two walks while sophomore reliever Brian Langdon (Beacon Falls, Conn.) surrendered two runs on two hits and issued one free pass in a no-decision.

Elms is off on Tuesday and returns to Gene Cusic Classic action on Wednesday with a 4:00 p.m. game against the US Coast Guard Academy.