Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A five-run third inning proved to be the difference as the Eckerd baseball team dropped the opening game of a weekend series to Rollins College, 6-1.
The Tars (14-7, 2-2 SSC) tallied five of their six hits in the game in the third, including four doubles, enough to chase Eckerd starter
Jack Silberman. A double and an error put runners on the corners before Silberman struck out Isaiah Russell, but Nick Breen's RBI double started a series of five straight Rollins hitters to reach base safely and end the night prematurely for Silberman. Tyler Fairbanks and Mike Purcell both had two-run doubles during that stretch.
Mike Eagan, who relieved Silberman, was able to retire the first two batters he faced in third to get the Tritons out of the inning leaving runner on the corners.
Eckerd (7-8, 1-6 SSC) responded in the bottom of the inning with a solo homerun by
Nick Hill, his third of the season, but otherwise struggled to create opportunities, only putting two runners on base following Hill's blast.
Rollins added another run in the sixth after two walks and hit batsman loaded the bases with no one out.
Gardner Nutter came into the game and escape the jam by allowing just one runner to score, aided by a pop-up and strikeout with the bases loaded.
Silberman (0-4) took the loss, allowing five runs - four earned - in 2-1/3 innings. Eagan, Nutter and
Joey Favetta held the Tars to one run for the rest of the game while combining for eight strikeouts, but EC couldn't make up the gap against Rollins starter Brian Auerbach (5-1), who surrendered just five hits over eight innings of work.
The series concludes with a double-header tomorrow beginning at 1:00 PM.
