The Tars dropped the first game of their Friday double-header
against No. 2 Tampa, but recovered to take game two, their season
finale. Tampa got an early lead in game one and held on for a 8-4
win. Rollins flipped the script in the second contest, going ahead
early and closing out the game down the stretch, winning 5-3.
Rollins closes out their season with a record 0f 24-25, and 8-16 in
the Sunshine State Conference. Tampa takes home the SSC title with
an overall record of 41-8, 20-4 in conference play.
Second baseman Nick
Breen finished the first contest 3-5 with a RBI. Peter
Nicoletto and Alex
Miller both tallied an RBI and scored a run, with Skip
Kovar accounted for the final Tar RBI.
Freshman Brad
Case started for Rollins. The righty threw three innings,
surrendering six runs and striking out two. Brian
Auerbach came on to relieve Case, and pitched the remainder of
the game. The Palm Harbor, Florida native threw six strong
innings, giving up just two runs and striking out eight.
The Spartans jumped out to a lead in the third innings when they
sent five runners home. Tampa then extended their advantage in the
fourth when they sent three more runners across the plate,
including a solo homerun by Mitchell Preston.
Both offenses then went stagnant until the bottom of the ninth,
when the Tars mounted a rally to try to capture the game. Christopher
Corbett led off the frame with a double, and he was quickly
driven in by a Nicoletto triple. Miller then hit a single up the
middle to drive in the center fielder. After a Mike
Dolan walk, Kovar doubled down the right field line, scoring
Miller. Nick
Breen sent home the last Rollins run on a fielder's choice.
The Tars could not pull the score any closer, falling 8-4 in game
one.
Junior first baseman Mike
Purcell went 2-3 in game two, knocking in a run and scoring
another. Senior Matt
Hendricks went 2-4 at the plate, and tallied an RBI, in his
final Rollins game.
Hendricks also started the game on the mound for the Tars,
throwing 5.2 innings, giving up just two runs and striking out
four. Mike
Gaughan came in for 0.2 innings of relief. The lefty picked up
the win, striking out two. Brandon
Burgess pitched two innings, giving up a lone run and striking
out four. Josh
Stewart closed out the game, picking up his third save of the
year.
The Tars got on the board first, scoring twice in the bottom of
the second. Purcell lead off the inning with a single and came
home courtesy of a Hendricks single. Nicoletto came home on a Teddy
Meissner groundout.
Tampa evened the game with two runs in the top of the sixth, but
Rollins responded with two of their own to take the lead back.
Nicoletto singled home Tyler
Fairbanks, with Breen also coming home on the play after a
Tampa error.
Rollins added an insurance run in the seventh Thomas
Boyajian cam in a pinch runner after a two out Fairbanks walk.
The junior stole second before coming across the plate on a Purcell
single.
The Spartans threatened in the ninth, sending one run home, but
the Tars relievers were able to squash the comeback, securing the
victory for Rollins.
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