WINTER PARK, Fla. – The No. 8 Colorado Mesa baseball team suffered their first loss of the season as their comeback attempt fell just short in a 4-3 loss to the No. 15 Rollins College Tars on Friday (Feb. 9) afternoon at Alfond Stadium
 
The Mavericks wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Paul Schoenfeld led the game off and went big fly to give his team a 1-0 lead. The Wichita, Kan. native sent a pitch from Tar starter Nick Berger over the wall in right field for the first home run of the season for the Mavericks.
 
Rollins threatened in the third inning with two outs as a hitter laced a ball to second baseman Jonathan Gonzalez' left he was able to lay out for the ball and snare it. In the meantime, a Tar runner was barreling around third and Gonzalez was able to gun him down at the plate to preserve the lead.
 
The Tars took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Nathan Tinder hit a two-run home run to right field for his first home run of the season that gave Rollins a 2-1 lead after four complete.
 
Rollins extended their lead in the sixth inning as they plated two runs to take a 4-1 lead.
 
Colorado Mesa got one back in the top of the seventh as TJ Rheem delivered a RBI groundout to second base that scored Rocco DiFracesco on the play to make it 4-2 after seven innings.
 
The Mavericks would not go quietly in the ninth as Joey Blank delivered a two-out, RBI single through the right side that scored Max Berni on the play. Colorado Mesa would have the go-ahead runner on first and the tying run on at third when the game ended.
 
Gonzalez finished the game 3-for-4 while DiFrancesco was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
 
Junior Kyle Miller got the start and delivered another successful start for the pitching staff. He went five innings and allowed two runs on four hits, walked two and struck out five but did not factor into the decision.
 
The two teams will wrap up the series tomorrow morning with a single nine-inning game beginning at 10am mountain.