WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 31, 2007) ' The
Rollins baseball team defeated Saint Leo 7-5 in the first game of a
doubleheader at Alfond Stadium on Saturday afternoon thanks to key
hits from freshman pinch hitter Scott Chase and sophomore catcher
Eugene Martinez, but Saint Leo came back and won the nightcap 8-1.'
Rollins finished the series with an overall record of 21-15 and a
Sunshine State Conference mark of 6-6, and Saint Leo leaves with a
record of 20-16, 5-7.
Sophomore reliever Michael Eppich (4-1) pitched two and two
thirds scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the win in Game
One.' Sophomore right fielder Jesse More led the Tars at the plate,
going 2-4 with one run and one RBI.' Saint Leo reliever Eric
Nickolaison (1-3) was credited with the loss, giving up three runs
on three hits and one walk in three innings.' Left fielder Sean Van
Guilder went 3-5 with one run and one RBI, and catcher Ricky Nolan
hit 2-3 with two RBI and two walks.
Game One was a back-and-forth affair, as the teams traded leads
throughout the entire game.' Rollins went ahead early with a first
inning run after junior third baseman Gary Martoccio led off with a
double and came around to score on a groundout by junior left
fielder Mike Crane.' Saint Leo came back with three in the third,
highlighted by a two-run single by Nolan.' The Tars scored one in
the fourth on an RBI single by More to narrow the lead to one, and
they went ahead on a two-run pinch hit single by Chase in the
sixth.' The Lions scored two in the seventh to regain the lead, but
a three-run blast over the center field wall by Martinez in the
eighth put Rollins up for good.
Chase, starting at designated hitter in Game Two, and freshman
right fielder Phil Hendricks led the Tars at the plate in the
nightcap, as both hitters went 2-3 with two singles.' Freshman
starter Danny Clark (1-1) picked up the loss after allowing five
runs, one earned, in four innings.' Saint Leo starter Carter
Clements (2-5) pitched all seven innings for the complete game win,
allowing just one run on eight hits while striking out seven.'
Second baseman Jorge Burgos (2-4, two doubles, two runs, one stolen
base), shortstop Jerry Gonzalez (2-4, double, one run, two stolen
bases), designated hitter Nolan (2-3, one RBI), and first baseman
Eric Spicer (2-4, one run, two RBI) led the Lions lineup.
The Lions scored first in Game Two, putting one run on the board
in the second inning on a balk by Clark.' Saint Leo added four more
in the fourth and three in the fifth, breaking out to an 8-0 lead.'
Left fielder Sean Van Guilder highlighted the rally with a two-run
homerun in the fifth.' The Tars came back to score a run in the
bottom of the sixth; freshman third baseman Max Pavy singled to
lead off the inning, junior center fielder Corey Whiting doubled
him to third, and Crane drove him home with a groundout.
The Tars will go on the road to continue their SSC season when
they travel to Lakeland, Fla. for a series against Florida Southern
starting on Friday, April 6 at 7:00 p.m.' Fans can listen to all
the action live on the Tars Sports Network at www.RollinsSports.com.
Box Score (Game One)
Box Score (Game Two)
