FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Thiel College baseball team opened the 2017 season with an 11-8 victory over the Rockford University Regents in the first day of the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Fort Myers, Florida Sunday afternoon.

The Regents and Tomcats traded runs in the first to make the score 1-1. The Regents would score three runs off of RBI's by Nathan Burris, Tyler Johnson, and Austin Smith in the second to take the lead 4-1 after two.

A single by Nick Fowkes (New Eagle, Pa./Ringgold) through the right side in the third put the Tomcats within two after three.

A throwing error by the Regents would score Zach Hudecek (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes) and Nick Grice (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) drove in Drew Dellert (Dover, Del./Poly-Tech) to tie the game up at 4-4 after four.

Bryce Hinkleman's solo homerun and Tyler Johnson's two-run double put the Regents up 8-5 in the seventh. The Tomcats would answer in the bottom of the inning with a two-run double into right field by Andrew Giesey (Penn, Pa./Penn Trafford). Jake Marino (Pittsfield, Pa./Youngsville) would also score in the innings on a throwing error to tie the game up at 8-8.

In the eighth Daniel Patrice (Munich, Germany/EST) singled up the middle which scored Bryan Mitchell (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) to regain the lead 9-8 in favor of the Tomcats. Also in the inning Patrice would score on a throwing error and Fowkes would score on a sacrifice fly to center field by Zach Hudecek (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes) giving the Tomcats an 11-8 lead heading into the ninth.

Michael Rohm (Lisbon, Ohio/David Anderson) sent the Regents down in order in the ninth picking up the win. Rohm went two and one-third innings allowing only one hit and no runs.
  
The Tomcats (1-0) return to action in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. as they take on Haverford College in the first game of a double header at the Player Development Complex.