FORT MYERS, Fla.–A combined seven runs in the sixth and seventh innings powered the Swarthmore College baseball team (5-7) to its third consecutive win, an 10-4 victory over the Dominican University (Ill.) Stars on Thursday, March 9.
The Garnet tied their season-high with 14 hits, which they also accumulated in a 13-2 win over Hiram earlier in the week.
The freshman and sophomore classes combined for 11 hits, eight runs and seven RBIs while sophomore
Charles Groppe picked up the win on the mound in his first start of the season. Groppe allowed four hits and one run in six innings of work with three strikeouts. Swarthmore conceded three runs in the bottom of the eighth, but managed to escape a bases-loaded jam with the tying run at the plate.
Rookie
Cole Beeker led the offense with three hits, including two doubles, two RBIs and one run. Classmate
Max Grullon collected three base hits, the last of which was a ground-rule double, and crossed the plate thrice while sophomore
Conor Elliott tripled for the second time this season. Senior centerfielder
Ryan Burnett also finished with a pair of hits and a run.
After four scoreless innings, Swarthmore scored its first run when
Jared Gillen came home after initially reaching on a single to center field. Groppe retired the side in order in the bottom of the frame and the floodgates opened for the Garnet in the sixth. Grullon singled on the first pitch and he saw and Beeker followed up with an extra-base hit down the right field line. Elliott plated Beeker on a triple and scored himself on a sac fly by Gillen.
In the seventh,
Kenji Yoshii and
Cal Barnett-Mayotte scored after a Stars' miscue and
Charles Levitt and Beeker also crossed the plate to make it 8-1. Dominican gave Swarthmore a scare in the bottom of the eighth with three runs, but could not clear the bases with two outs and still trailed entering the ninth. The Garnet completed the scoring in the ninth as Burnett and Grullon provided the runs.
The baseball concludes its Spring Break schedule of games on Friday, March 10 with a doubleheader against Coast Guard, starting at 9 a.m.