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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team earned a come-from-behind 9-6 victory over Vermont on Wednesday in its fourth game of the 2009 RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. EKU trailed Vermont much of the game before a three-run blast by sophomore Jayson Langfels in the fifth inning gave the Colonels the lead for good.

EKU (5-5) entered the fifth inning down 4-2 before Richie Rodriguez sliced the deficit in half single-handedly. The freshman singled to lead off the inning, stole his way to third and then scored on a wild pitch. Following a groundout by senior Matt Davis, sophomore Anthony Ottrando and senior Tyler Rehmel connected on back-to-back base hits. Langfels then smashed a shot to left center that made it 6-4. The Colonels would not trail again.

Sophomore Macon Smith (2-0) picked up the win for EKU, working 1.1 innings and allowing just one run on two hits. Sophomore Matt Fyffe started on the mound but left the game with an injury after facing only two batters. Freshman Eric Sanders, seeing his first action of the year, shouldered a majority of the pitching workload. Sanders went four solid innings and allowed three runs on five hits. He also struck out three batters. Senior Alex Napier came on in the sixth and picked up a key out. Freshman Matt Harris pitched 2.2 innings and gave up one unearned run on two hits. Junior Chris Hord recorded his first career save, coming on in the ninth and getting the final out of the game.

Owen Ozanich (0-1) got the loss for Vermont, working just a third of an inning and allowing three runs on four hits.

Langfels batted 2-for-4 on the day with three RBI and a run scored. Rehmel put together a four hit day, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Davis, meanwhile, went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.

The Colonels compiled 15 hits on the day and swiped eight bases.

After Vermont put one run on the board in the top of the first, Davis tied it in the home half of the inning with a solo bomb over the wall in left field.

The Catamounts, however, got RBI singles from Brad Currier and Jeff Nolet in the second to take a commanding 4-1 lead.

An RBI single to center by freshman Jacob Daniel in the fourth inning brought the Colonels to within two and set the stage for Langfels’ fifth inning blast that would give the Colonels the lead.

A two-run double to left center by Rodriguez in the seventh stretched the Colonels’ lead to seemingly safe 9-5 margin; however, after the first two Catamounts went down swinging in the top of the ninth, consecutive throwing errors by the Colonel infield put men on the corners. Tom Jackson then singled to bring home one run and Harris walked the next batter he faced to load the bases. Hord then came on and got Eric Fredette to fly out to end the game.

The Colonels return to action on Friday, March 13, when they face Connecticut at 4:00 p.m.