BOCA RATON, Fla. (April 10, 2009) – Rollins lost a 10-inning heartbreaker in the opener and were stifled in the nightcap as the Tars dropped a Sunshine State Conference doubleheader to Lynn Friday afternoon by scores of 10-9 and 8-2. 

The Tars fall to 22-19 overall and 5-10 in SSC play while the Fighting Knights improve to 32-12, 8-7 SSC.

Scott Chase went 5-7 with an RBI and run scored to lead the Tars offense on the day. Eugene Martinez went 3-10 with two runs scored, including a solo homerun, while John Avanzino batted 2-6 with an RBI.

Marc Hewett got the start in game one for the Tars and threw seven solid innings, scattering six hits and three runs with four walks and five strikeouts. Andrew Loynaz took the loss in relief, throwing two-thirds of an inning and allowing two runs, one earned on three hits.

Stephen Hiscock suffered the game two loss, surrendering seven runs on six hits in 4.1 innings of work.

Jason Ten Eyck hit 6-8 with three runs scored to pace the Lynn bats while Douglas Toro batted 4-6. Evan Ellison threw 1.2 innings of relief and picked up the game one victory, allowing one run on two hits with three strike outs. Tommy Kahnle won the nightcap for LU, throwing six innings and surrendering two runs on seven hits.

Rollins came out of the gate hot, as Justin Yount led off the day with a single, stole second and advanced to third in an error, one of five in the game for Lynn. He later scored to put the Tars up 1-0 after one.

Ten Eyck tripled to lead off the Lynn third and eventually scored to knot the score 1-1 before the Tars took advantage of another Knights miscue in the fifth to jump ahead 2-1. Lynn again tied the score with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but Rollins scored two in the sixth, on a sac fly from Ben Hewett and RBI single from Jesse More, to snag a 4-2 lead.

Lynn got a run in the last of the sixth to make the score 4-3 before the Tars blew the game open with three in the top of the seventh. Yount walked to lead off the frame and was followed by a Bryan Bennett RBI double to right center. After a More walk, Ben Hewett smoked a two-RBI double down the left field line to give the Tars a 7-3 advantage.

Rollins couldn’t keep the momentum rolling down the stretch as Lynn plated four runs on five hits in the eighth to knot the score at seven.

Martinez put Rollins back on up in the top of the ninth with a one out, solo homer to right. Lynn tied it up again in their half of the ninth with a two out rally and went for the win, but Bennett threw out Paddy Matera trying to score from second on a close play at the plate, with Hewett applying the acrobatic tag, to force extra innings.

Josh Band led off the Tars 10th with a single and eventually scored on a passed ball to give the Tars a 9-8 advantage. The Knights then stole the win, knocking four hits and using a two-out Rollins error to score two and hand the Tars a heart breaking 10-9 defeat.

In the night cap, Rollins again jumped ahead in the first, knocking out three hits and scoring two runs on RBI singles from Chase and Ryan Harvey. Lynn tied it up in the second with a pair of scores and stymied the Tars from then on, scoring one in the fourth and four in the fifth to sweep the Tars in the SSC series.

Rollins will look to rebound on Tuesday, April 14 with a 2 p.m. non-conference tilt at home against Barry. The Tars will then head to Tampa on April 17-18 for a three game, Sunshine State Conference series.