MONTEVALLO, Ala. – University of Montevallo junior Vinny Rodriguez, along with sophomores Brandon Marshall and Michael Simmons, homered in the first two innings of a non-conference game April 1 against Miles College to lead the Falcons to a 16-4 win over the Golden Bears after seven innings courtesy of the 10-run rule.
Montevallo improved to 21-15 overall after scoring 16 runs on 15 hits in the victory.
Freshman Scotty Smith led the Falcons offensively as he finished 3-for-4 at the plate and scored two runs.
Rodriguez, who drove in three runs and scored three runs, went 2-for-2 at the plate with a homer. Simmons, who drove in three runs and scored two runs, finished 2-for-2 at the plate with a homer. Senior Hunter Boudreaux went 2-for-2 at the plate and drove in three runs.
Marshall, who drove in two runs and scored one run, went 1-for-5 at the plate with a homer. Senior Will Fulmer, who drove in two runs and scored two runs, finished 1-for-2 at the plate. Senior Jackson Slaid, who drove in one run and scored one run, went 1-for-3 at the plate.
Freshman Alex Jones finished 1-for-1 at the plate and scored one run. Junior Matthew Haskins went 1-for-3 at the plate and scored two runs. Sophomore Thomas Bradey finished 1-for-2 at the plate and drove in one run.
Sophomores Jeremy Hyde and Cody White drove in one run each, while freshman Dane Hutcheon scored one run in the victory.
Freshman Tanner Koch (1-0) earned the win on the mound after allowing just one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts and one walk in three innings in his second career start.
Sophomores Taylor Burr and Jake Christensen, along with freshman Joey Hume, each pitched a scoreless inning in relief.
Simmons sparked a four-run first inning with his two-run blast to right field, which gave the Falcons a 4-1 lead after the bottom of the first.
Rodriguez provided a two-run homer to right field and Marshall sent a solo shot over the right-field wall in the bottom of the second inning, which helped the Falcons build a 9-1 lead over the Golden Bears.
Slaid provided a RBI double to right-center field before scoring on a sacrifice fly to right field by Simmons in the bottom of the fourth to extend the Falcons' lead to 11-1.
Boudreaux lined a two-run single to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning, pushing the Montevallo lead to 13-1.
The Falcons capped their scoring with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, including a RBI single up the middle by Boudreaux, which gave Montevallo a 16-1 lead.
Miles plated three runs in the top of the seventh, but it wasn't enough to avoid an early end to the game at the end of the frame.
The Falcons will return to action this weekend with a three-game Peach Belt Conference series against Francis Marion University at Kermit A. Johnson Field.
First pitch in the series opener is set for Saturday, April 5 at 1 p.m.
