WINTER HAVEN, Fla.--The red hot offense continued for the Keene State College baseball team, which bashed out 16 hits in a 14-6 win over the Illinois Institute of Technology on Saturday at Chain O' Lakes Field No. 1 to conclude their Florida trip.

Records

• Keene State: 7-4
• Illinois Tech: 5-3

How it Happened

David Sevigny hit 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, and four RBI, while Abe Grainger was 3-for-5 and scored twice.  Connor Longley was 1-for-3 and drove in three runs, and Mac Struthers was 2-for-4 with an RBI and crossed home plate three times, and Nate Rossi knocked in two runs.  That was more than enough offense to back Brandon Heath (2-0), who went six innings, striking out one and allowing one earned run.

A scoreless game was blown wide open in the fourth inning.  Already leading 3-0 after the third, Keene State sent 12 batters to the plate in the eighth, scoring eight times.  Devin Springfield was hit by a pitch and stole second, coming home on Sevigny's second home run of the year, a two run shot to left.  John Tarascio reached on an error and moved to third on Abe Grainger's hit through the left side to chase Tech pitcher Ian Duke.  Reliever Berto Carselle was greeted by consecutive RBI singles by Tom Meucci and Mac Struthers, still with none out in the frame.

Connor Longley also had an RBI single, and an error allowed Struthers to score before Sevigny brought in two more runs with a double to left-center.  Illinois Tech broke up the shutout with four runs in the sixth, but the Owls scored single runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to seal the win.

Heath worked out of trouble in the first inning when Struthers cut down Michael Courtney trying to take home on a short single, and the Scarlet Hawks only had one runner in scoring position until the sixth inning.

Isaac Keehn pitched the final three innings out of the bullpen, scattering four hits and striking out two.

Around the Horn

• The Owls are off to their best start since the 2012 season, which also began 7-4.  Keene State finished that season 32-15 and reached the NCAA tournament.
• During the teams' eight games in Florida, the Owls hit .351 and slugged .493, outscoring opponents 68-55.  Noteably, the Owls were 4-1 after letting the opponent score first.
• Heath has thrown nearly as many innings this season (19.2) than in the previous two years combined (20.1).

Up Next

• Keene State returns to New England for a home contest against Johnson & Wales University on Saturday, March 24, at 1 p.m.   Please watch keeneowls.com for up-to-date information on any postponements, cancellations, and rescheduled games throughout the spring.
• The trip to Florida also ends for the Scarlet Hawks, who begin conference play with a doubleheader against the Milwaukee School of Engineering on March 24.