WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- A late run in the eighth-inning broke a 4-all tie and proved to be the game winner for Rockford College in a 5-4 decision over the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology baseball team Friday at the Chain of Lakes Complex.
After falling behind 3-1, Rose-Hulman (2-3) used a three-run sixth-inning to take a short-lived 4-3 lead. Andrew Benitez (Mililani, Hawaii/Mililani), Donnie Waters (Franklin, Ind./Franklin), and Josh Hoeing (Rushville, Ind./Rushville) hit three straight singles in the inning, followed by a Kody Alayon (Hammond, Ind./Bishop Knoll) single to right centerfield that plated two runs.
Warren Whithaus (Robinson, Ill./Robinson) later walked to score Zach Trusk (Plainfield, Ill./North) who also reached base via a walk, to make the score 4-3 Engineers.
Rockford didn't wait long to respond, as an Adrian Gameros RBI single through the left side knotted the game at 4-all in the bottom of the inning.
Gameros later had the game-winning RBI double in the eighth to give Rockford a 5-4 advantage.
RHIT senior Hank Akard (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) singled to centerfield in the top of the ninth to give the Engineers life, but a 1-6-2 double play ended the game.
Benitez, Waters, Hoeing, and Alayon led the Engineers with two hits each, with Alayon adding three RBI, including a RBI single in the fourth to score Waters from third that put RHIT on the scoreboard.
Caleb Kissel (Plainfield, Ill./North) and Akard each had a hit apiece for RHIT, which finished the game with 10 hits, compared to 13 for Rockford.
John Krasich (Westfield, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit) took the loss on the mound for RHIT, as he allowed four hits, struck out two and one earned run in 2.1 innings pitched.
In the start, RHIT senior Kevin Farley (Centennial, Colo./Littleton) allowed eight hits, four earned runs and struck out four in five innings pitched.
Jake McKnight picked up the win for Rockford.
Rose-Hulman returns to play for its final contest in Florida when it faces Milwaukee School of Engineering at 9 a.m. Saturday at Chain of Lakes Complex.
