Winter Haven, FL – Junior Brady Torbitt (Fulton, NY) went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer, but the Clarkson University Baseball team fell to MCLA after a three-run eighth gave the Trailblazers the 7-5 victory over the Golden Knights Sunday morning at Chain O Lakes Park.

The Golden Knights fell to 2-3 overall with their third straight loss. Clarkson gets Monday off and returns to action in a single nine-inning affair against Amherst College on Tuesday.

Clarkson started off the game right with a double from Matt Giordano (Liverpool, NY) and he advanced to third on a stolen base. The senior centerfielder scored on a two-out single from Torbitt to put the Knights on the board. Two more runs came home on a bomb from Torbitt in the third inning, sending a liner over the right-centerfield fence, giving Clarkson a 3-0 lead.

MCLA scored four runs in the fourth inning as the Trailblazers surrounded a walk and an error with a pair of triples, putting the home team up by a run. Clarkson responded with the tying run in the fifth inning as Matt Curry (Richland, NY) lifted a fly ball right to plate Justin McInerney (Grand Island, NY), who had doubled earlier in the frame. The Knights went on top an inning later on back-to-back doubles from Cale Giroux (Cortland, NY) and Mike Bresett (Norwood, NY).

After back-to-back singles in the eighth inning, the Knights used three pitchers to try and wiggle out of the jam. After freshman Jordan Yells (Waterloo, NY) seemed to have stymied the rally, but a two-run pinch hit single put the go-ahead run and an insurance score across home plate.

Torbitt drove in three runs to go along with his four hits, while Matt Giordano went 3-for-5 with a pair of stolen bases. Giroux also was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.