AUBURNDALE, FL – The Vassar baseball team attempted a late comeback, but LaRoche (1-3) pulled away in the ninth inning to earn its first win of the season. With the loss, the Brewers fall to 1-3 overall.

Vassar struggled to hit early, and it was LaRoche getting on the scoreboard first at the top of the second. After grounding out the first two Redhawks, Justin Stancovich tripled to center field. Tyler Simpson then singled on a ground ball to right field to bring Stancovich home. The following batter grounded out to keep it a 0-1 game.

It was a quick three outs for Vassar at the bottom of the frame. In the third, LaRoche's Samuel DiCiccio was caught stealing, and Cole Eggleston (Phoenixville, PA) struck out Ryan Lynn. The Redhawks tacked on two more runs when Mason Brooks reached base on an error that allowed two runners to score. The final batter struck for the Brewers to escape the inning. Vassar could not answer in the third, with LaRoche going one-two-three against the Brewers.

At the bottom of the fourth, Reid Lapekas (McKinney, TX) led off with a single to center field, and then Jaden Millstein (Margate, NJ) singled on a ground ball. A double by Andrew Kanellis (Burke, VA) brought Millstein and Lapekas home to tie 3-3.

Neither team scored until the sixth inning when LaRoche used a four-run home run by Nathan Stutz to take a 3-7 lead.

Vassar responded in the bottom of the seventh after Nick Greenhawt (Heber City, UT) doubled to center field. Junior Adam Talwalkar (Lexington, KY) followed up with a double to right field that allowed Greenhawt to score and cut the lead to 4-7. The Brewers made it a one-run game in the eighth when senior Sam Brinster (Long Beach, NY) doubled to left field to bring Ty Murray (Lenexa, KS) home.

LaRoche went off in the ninth, scoring three more runs to pull ahead 6-10. Vassar had one more chance in the bottom of the ninth, but three straight outs sealed the game.

Vassar faces Trine tomorrow at 3:15 p.m. on Lake Myrtle Field 2.