Winter Haven, FL – The Montclair State baseball ended its Florida trip the same way it began – in extra innings. But this time the Red Hawks would be on the wrong end of the scoreboard falling to Suffolk University 10-9 in 12 innings on Sunday morning.
Montclair suffered its third one-run loss of the week and finished its run through the RussMatt Invitational at 3-6 and returns home 3-9 on the year. Junior
JOE FOOTE went 3-for-5 with two RBI and pair of runs scored for MSU.
After grabbing an early 2-0 lead, Montclair fell behind and chased the Rams (3-0) through the middle innings before taking the lead in the in the seventh and adding two more runs in the eighth for a 9-6 lead. But Suffolk answered with two runs in the bottom of the eight and tied the game in the ninth on infield single by Kevin Belskie that brought home Curtis Tirone knotting the game at 9-9.
The single left the Rams with a chance to win the game as it had first and second with no one out. A sacrifice moved the runners up however reliever
TAYLOR PARSONS, who pitched four innings, wiggled his way out of the jam with a ground out and line out to end the inning.
In the 12
th, Brady Chant led off the inning with single but was forced out a second on a sacrifice attempt. Matt Brenner reached on an error and walk to Belsie loaded the bases. Kevin Higgins then smacked a single bringing home the game winning run.
RYAN LONG and
JOE FOOTE successfully pulled off a double-steal of home and
PHILIP SCOTT singled home a run in the first as MSU took a 2-0 lead. Foote's sacrifice fly lineout in the third made it 3-1 however the Rams scored three times in the third and got another in the fourth on a Belskie homer making the score 5-3.
The teams traded runs in the fifth and Montclair State took the lead in the seventh as
JOE NORTON grounded out scoring
IAN LYNCH for a 7-6 advantage. Foote and Lynch had RBI doubles in the eighth for the 9-6 lead.
Mark Fusco (1-0) got the win for Suffolk tossing the final four innings allowing two hits with a strikeout.
ANTHONY DEBLASIO (1-2) took the loss for MSU. Scott and Norton had two hits for Montclair.
The Red Hawks are scheduled to play at home on Thursday, March 16 against Baruch College at 3:30 pm.