WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Grinnell College baseball team put up a strong battle with the nation's second-ranked team before falling in two games Saturday.
 
The University of St. Thomas, ranked second by D3baseball.com, posted wins of 10-5 and 9-4.
 
In the opener, Walker Bell '15 had the hot bat for Grinnell with a 2-of-3 performance at the plate.
 
St. Thomas scored two runs in the fourth inning before the Pioneers erupted for five in the bottom of the inning.
 
Ryan Penaflor '15 scored when Teague Towner '17 hit into a fielder's choice, Anthony Mack '16 scored on an error, Steven Petritis '15 hit a two-run single to center to plate Towner and Bell and Michael Slattery '18 scored on an error.
 
However, St. Thomas rallied with a run in the fifth, three in the sixth and four more in the seventh.
 
Graham Fisher '16 worked 5-2/3 innings on the mound and fanned six batters.
 
In the second game, Matt Godinsky '16 went 3-for-3 at the plate with a homer while Sam Galanek '18 was 2-for-3.
 
St. Thomas scored three runs in the first inning before the Pioneers countered with one in the second on Slattery's RBI single to center.
 
The Tommies tallied four runs in the bottom of the inning and two more in the fourth for a 9-1 lead.
 
Grinnell got a run back in the fifth on Godinsky's solo homer to left and scored twice more in the sixth when Galanek swatted an RBI double to right and Godinsky a run-scoring single to center.
 
John Essig '16 was the pitcher of record for Grinnell.
 
The Pioneers, 2-7, wrap up their spring break trip with a contest against the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Sunday.