LAKELAND, FL -- Lesley piled on the Fighting Scots for a 10-0 lead in the fourth inning, but Gordon gradually chipped away, taking a 12-11 lead in the eighth and holding on for the win in the ninth.
Tyler Plourd and Aqib Shah continued to get on base at the top of the order, each scoring three runs for the Lynx. Shah went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks, while Plourd went 3-for-5 with three singles. Right fielder Ryan Genua went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored as the Lynx wrapped up the team's Florida trip at 1-6.
Aggressive and opportunistic in the early innings, Lesley opened up a 3-0 lead in the first and tacked on four more in the third off Fighting Scots starter Zach Bohling. Shah was hit by a pitch and scored on a John Gosnell single, and Genua drove in Plourd and Gosnell on a two-run single to centerfield. Two innings later, Shah scored from second on an overthrow on a Gosnell sacrifice fly to deep center, and Plourd came across on a Ryan McQuade single up the middle. A double-steal scored McQuade from third to cap the rally, putting Lesley up 7-0 with starter Jeff Landry cruising through three.
The Lynx righty hit his spots and worked efficiently early on, striking out five and allowing no hits and a walk on 32 pitches in the first three innings. A Shah error and a base on balls to lead off the fourth both scored on a two-run single from Geoff Brown to make it 10-2, and a Dillon Colemon RBI double over Genua's head in right made it 11-4 after five.
Coleman found Genua again an inning later, chasing Landry from the game with a two-out RBI triple past the diving right fielder in the sixth. Landry was releived by left-hander Noah Shaw, who was rudely greeted by senior Eric Wolack's two-run homer to left-center to pull the Scots to within 11-7.
Gordon added another in the seventh and took the lead with three in the eighth. Shaw walked two to open the inning, and the Scots tied the game on a Wolak fly ball to the top of the wall hauled in as center fielder Robert Parson crashed into the fence. A Brian Harrington double gave Gordon the lead, and reliever Greg Anglin came on to strike out Stephen Crawford to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, designated hitter Ray Cohen reached on a walk with two outs, but Harrington struck out Shah on a check-swing to end it, capping the Scots 10-run comeback.
Shaw took the loss for Lesley while Landry left with a no-decision, striking out five and allowing six hits, four of them singles, in his 5 and 2/3 innings.
Lesley returns to Cambridge and opens New England Collegiate Conference play on Monday at Trum Field at 3:00 p.m. against Elms College.
