WINTER PARK, Fla. –
After being held scoreless in a pitcher's duel in game one of
Saturday's doubleheader, the Rollins College responded with a 9-2
onslaught over the Nova Southeastern Sharks at Alfond Stadium.
Rollins (22-14, 5-7) claimed the series with Friday night's 7-6
victory in extra innings on the Bryan
Bennett walk-off single over NSU (27-10, 4-8). The Tars fell
in Saturday's first game, 1-0.
The doubleheader opener was dominated by both pitchers. For the
Tars, Marc Hewett allowed just five hits with two
strikeouts to keep the Sharks scoreless. Nova came in with a .342
batting average and were just 5-for-24 against Hewett who pitched
51 strikes from a total of 92 pitches.
Marty Cornish (1-1) came in for relief after Matt
White faced one batter in the eighth. Cornish suffered the
loss when Riaan Furstenburg laced a leadoff home run over the left
field wall in the top of the ninth.
Pitching the gem for Nova was Miles Mikolas (5-1) who went the
distance giving up just four hits, while striking out six.
Leadoff hitter Justin Yount paced the Tars in the first game
with a pair of hits, while Bryan
Bennett and Josh Band each added one.
In the second game, the bats came alive for Rollins as it began the
first inning with four runs. After giving up a run in the top half
the inning, catcher Ryan Harvey roped a bases loaded clearing
double down the left field line to increase his RBIs to six on the
season. Prior to Harvey's at-bat, Ryan
Luker hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Yount, to improve
his team-high RBI count o 41.
Rollins added three more runs in the third to take a 7-1
advantage. John Avanzino hit a single to left field before
the Shark's fielder J.D. Martinez mishandled the ball allowing for
two runners to score. Harvey smashed another clutch shot up the
middle to score Avanzino, who was at second.
In the following inning, an RBI triple from Eugene
Martinez scored Bennett who singled earlier in the inning.
Martinez lined the first pitch toward the right field wall and
hustled his way to third safely to increase the Tar advantage to
8-1, it was Martinez's third triple of his career.
After surrendering a run in the fifth, Rollins capped its scoring
in the sixth with an insurance run. With one out, More blasted the
0-1 pitch toward left field to secure the Tars' victory. The
Maitland, Fla., native registered his second homer of the season
and third of his career.
Starter Stephen Hiscock (6-3) earned the win going five
innings with only two blemishes. The Naugatuck, Conn., native
allowed five hits and three walks, while striking out four. Danny
Clark closed out the final two innings giving up one walk.
The losing pitcher in the rubber match finale was Chris Hamper
(3-1) who went .2 of an inning surrendering four runs to pick up
his first loss of the season.
Rollins returns to conference action when it travels to Boca Raton,
Fla., for a three-game series against Lynn beginning, April 9 at 3
p.m.
