Winter Haven, Fla.  –  Sophomore Chris Kelly (Bethesda, Md.) went 3-4 and blasted a game-tying grand slam in the fifth inning, but it was not enough for the Trinity College Bantams, who recovered from an early 8-0 hole before falling by a run, 14-13, to the Grinnell College Pioneers in the RussMatt Central Florida Baseball Invitational this afternoon at Chain of Lakes Field.  The game marks the conclusion Trinity's spring Florida trip, as the Bantams head home with a record of 9-5.  Grinnell improves to 3-10.

The Grinnell offense came out swinging in the second inning and did not stop, sending 12 batters to the plate, and grabbing an 8-0 lead behind key hits, by juniors Michael Goldfien (Mill Valley, Calif.) and Mike Nodzenski (Naperville, Ill.), which each plated two runs.  Trinity junior Kevin Mortimer (Spencer, Mass.) singled and scored, and junior Alex LiDonni (Norwood, Mass.) doubled and scored in the bottom of the inning, but Grinnell regained an eight run lead over Trinity with a pair of runs in the top of the third. 

The Bantams continued to chip away, adding three more runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-out two-RBI single by sophomore Michael Rueger (Teaneck, N.J.), before a big fifth inning.  Trinity loaded the bases with a single and a pair of walks to start the fifth, before senior co-captain Mark Young (Chester, N.J.) singled in a run to cut the Grinnell lead to 10-6.  Momentum swinging in full favor of the Bantams, Kelly stepped to the plate and turned on the first pitch he saw, sending the ball out of the park and Grinnell starter Andrew Kelley (Springfield, Ill.), out of the game, with a game-tying grand slam.  Trinity scored two more runs on three more hits in the inning, taking a 12-10 lead. 

The Grinnell bats were silent until the sixth, when the Pioneers took advantage of a Trinity miscue to cut the Trinity lead to 12-11, before adding two more runs in the seventh.  Grinnell freshman Jackson Markey (White Plains, N.Y.) tied the game with an RBI double, and gave Pioneers a 13-12 lead, after scoring on another key hit by Nodzenski later in the inning.  Trinity tied the game at 13-13 in the bottom half of the seventh, on three singles and an error.  Grinnell loaded the bases in the eighth, but Trinity sophomore reliever D.J. Goldberg (Plainville, Mass.) escaped the jam, helped by a clutch defensive play by junior Stephen Rogers (Watertown, Mass.) at third base.

Goldfien opened the ninth with a walk for the Pioneers, and Nodzenski added a base hit to knock Goldberg out of the game.  Senior co-captain Andrew Janiga (Ellington, Conn.) entered on the hill for the Bantams, and Goldfien attempted to steal third base, but late defensive replacement Luke Auger (Avon, Conn.) rifled the runner out with defensive assistance by Rogers on a clean scoop and tag at third.  Janiga retired the following batter, but moments later, with two outs and two strikes on the batter, senior Greg Suryn (Littleton, Colo.) delivered a the game-winning RBI double down the left field line.  Janiga picked up a strikeout to end the top half of the ninth, but Grinnell sophomore Duggan Knoll (Toddville, Iowa) set down the Bantams in order on three deep fly balls to center field with sophomore Alex Almeida (Bridgeport, Conn.) coming within feet of a game-tying homerun.