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WINTER HAVEN, Fla.—Gordon Baseball has found success in the warmth of the Florida sun, winning three of their first five games to begin their 2014 season. The Scots used dominant pitching to sweep Houghton on the day of the season last Thursday. Gordon also outpaced Medaille College with a 10-8 win on Monday morning. The Scots only two losses were one-run defeats at the hands of Rhode Island College and a Rockford University squad with a high-powered offense.
 
Scott Hall (Weymouth, Mass.) took the mound as the opening day starter against Houghton and held the Highlanders' offense to a mere whisper. Houghton could only muster two hits during Hall's five innings of shutout work, while the sophomore kept runners off the bases. Wesley Arning (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) came in relief, pitching two innings without giving up a run and earning the win for Gordon.
 
The Highlanders' Seth Cornell rung up nine Gordon batters, but an error in the seventh inning allowed the Scots to earn the walk-off 1-0 victory.
 
Game two of the doubleheader had plenty more action on the offensive end, as the two squads combined for 14 runs in a seven-inning affair. The Scots got out to the early 3-0 lead in the top of the first off of a passed ball and an Alex German (Brimfield, Ill.) double to centerfield, bringing in two runs.
 
Houghton struck back in the bottom half of the inning with four runs, spurred on by a two-RBI triple by Garret Kirkpatrick. Gordon regained the lead only a half inning later when Houghton catcher Kirkpatrick dropped a third strike to Travis Pullen (Las Vegas, N.V.). Pullen booked it down the line toward first and forced Kirkpatrick into a bad throw, which brought in two runs to score for the Scots.
 
The Highlanders evened the score in the bottom of the third when Joseph Gilligan took a two-out fastball into centerfield for a RBI single, scoring Trent Unverdorben. It was all Gordon the rest of the way, as the Scots rallied around two extra base hits in the top of the fifth inning to take a 9-5 lead all the way to the end of the game.
 
Ryan Block (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) picked up his first win of the season in four innings of work, while Roland LaPointe (Leominster, Mass.) got the three-inning save by allowing no runs on two hits.
 
With two wins on day one, Gordon set their sights on Rhode Island College the next morning. Eric Proulx (Charlton, Mass.) got the start for the Scots and went six strong innings until a tough top of the seventh where the Anchormen scored two runs without the Scots registering an out.  
 
Rhode Island College (2-1) got off to a red hot start on Saturday, as the Anchormen scored a trio of runs in the first inning to take an early lead, keyed by an RBI single from senior designated hitter Justin Rainville (Cumberland, RI) and a pair of sacrifice flies from sophomore right fielder Matt Foley (Seekonk, MA) and junior first baseman Tyler Santaniello (Cumberland, RI). However, after a pair of quiet innings on offense, the Fighting Scots answered back in the top of third with three runs of their own to tie the game, 3-3.

Gordon (2-1) held a 5-3 lead heading into the final third of the game thanks to RBI singles from Mark Fitzgerald (Camarillo, Calif.), Pullen and Carlos Pichardo (La Romana, D.R.), but the resilient Anchormen rallied to tie the game, 5-5, in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a sacrifice fly from freshman catcher Tyler Rains (North Kingstown, RI) that scored Santaniello and an RBI single from sophomore shortstop Giann Abbruzzese (North Providence, RI) that plated freshman third baseman Sean Getman (Oneonta, NY).

With the game knotted at five, Getman walked to open the bottom half of the ninth for RIC. Siravo stepped in as the pinch-runner for Getman and quickly advanced to third on a single from junior center fielder Patrick Rogers (Waterford, CT). Following an intentional walk that loaded bases with just one out, Siravo scampered home on a wild pitch to give the Anchormen the walk-off victory.

Senior right-hander Brad Van Fechtmann (East Greenwich, RI) was solid in his first start of the season for Rhode Island College, as he conceded three unearned runs on four hits and three walks in five innings of work, while striking out a trio of batters.

Sophomore left-hander Angelo St. Laurent (Cranston, RI) came out of the bullpen in place of Van Fechtmann and tossed 3.2 efficient innings of relief. The southpaw allowed just two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks, while striking out two batters in his debut with the Anchormen.

Junior right-hander Kyle Morvan (Smithfield, RI) earned the win (1-0) for RIC after he entered the game in the top of the ninth and recorded the final out of the inning. Jared Kefalas (Wenham, Mass.) was charged with the loss in one inning of relief, surrendering one earned run in the bottom of the ninth.
 
Gordon rebounded on Monday morning with a 10-8 win over Medaille College, to improve to 3-1 on the season. The Scots got things started early with six runs during the first two seasons to put the Mavericks in a huge early hole. Pullen and Fitzgerald continued their hot start to the 2014 season with an RBI single each.
 
The Mavericks surprised the Scots by roaring back to take an 8-7 lead in the top of the eighth inning. Medaille chased Gordon starter LaPointe from the game in the fifth inning after the freshman allowed three runs without getting an out. The Mavericks also had success playing small ball against relievers Kefalas and Dawson Tefft (West Granby, Conn.) as the outscored Gordon 8-1 between the fifth and eighth innings.
 
Pullen became the hero in the bottom of the eight as he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. The junior first baseman pounded a pitch to the gap for a bases-clearing double and gave the Scots a 10-8 lead. He finished with a game high five RBI on the morning. Arning picked up his second win of the spring with two and two-thirds innings on the back end in relief. The junior only allowed one run on two hits, while striking out two Maverick batters.
 
The nightcap saw a very similar story unfold with the Scots racing out to a 6-0 lead with all six runs coming in the third inning. Walker, Fitzgerald, Pullen and Jesse Amaya all found holes in Rockford University's defense for RBI at-bats.
 
The Regents answered back with an even more impressive seven-run fifth, capped by a grand slam off the bat of Scott Swiderek, his first of the year. The junior first baseman gave Rockford temporary momentum, but the Scots evened the score at seven runs a side on a throwing error by the Regents' second baseman.
 
Rockford loaded the bases once again in the top of the sixth inning and D-1 transfer Chris Holke delivered with a two-out, two-RBI bloop single to shoot back in front of the Scots. Gordon threatened in the eighth inning when Alonzo Martinez (El Paso, Texas) doubled to score Walker from second. Martinez got thrown out trying to stretch the hit and ended the Scots' rally, with the Regents pulling out a 9-8 victory.
 
Jameson Boyd surrendered the loss for Gordon in his first relief appearance of the year. Rockford's Joe Rigg picked up his first win of the year in six and a third innings of relief after the Scots got to the Regents' starter in the third inning.
 
The Scots (4-2) were back in action on Tuesday morning against SUNYIT and earned a 5-4 win over the Wildcats. They finish their spring break trip with a doubleheader against Anna Maria beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning.