CLERMONT, Fla. (March 13, 2018) – The Tars met a pair of teams for two contests at the PFX Spring Games, splitting their games on the day. Rollins downed Quincy 9-3 to open the action, before being tripped up by Bloomsburg, 8-0 in their second match up. The Tars now sit at 18-13 overall. The Hawks move to 8-7, while the Huskies improve to to 5-4.
Game one saw Rollins and Quincy battle back and forth early, but the Tars would pull away in the later innings to earn a convincing victory. Rollins' bats fell flat in game two, while the Huskies found theirs, tripping up the Tars in five innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Game One (Quincy):
- The Tars jumped out to an early lead, putting up two runs in the second. Abigail Sexton crossed the plate on a Quincy error, and Grace Street was plated by a Lindsay Gehring double to deep center field. However, the Hawks would load the bases with no outs in the bottom of the frame, and ultimately score three times to take a 3-2 after two innings.
- Brianne Lint led off the fourth with a bang, hitting a towering shot over the right field fence, to tie the score at 3-3. Brianna Ernst would extend the frame with an RBI single, driving home Sarah Harrison. Chandler Middlebrook would pour on two more runs, plating Ernst and Jordan Davis with a single through the left side, giving Rollins a 6-3 advantage.
- The Tars would manufacture a run in the fifth. Lint walked, advanced on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a Harrison single up the middle.
- Talia Kentoffio extended the Rollins lead again in the sixth. After reaching on a fielder's choice, she stole second, advanced to third on a late snap throw to second base from the catcher, and scored on sacrifice fly by Abigail Sexton.
- Grace Street extended the Tars lead, and helped her own cause, by launching a leadoff homerun over the wall in left center, to start the seventh.
- Grace Street saw the game out, not giving up a run after the second, and allowing just two base runners over the final three innings.
Game Two (Bloomsburg):
- The Huskies jumped out to 3-0 lead in the top of first, coming courtesy of a three run homerun off the bat of Kalynn Wheeland.
- Bloomsburg extended their lead, scoring a run in the top of the third, taking a 4-0 lead after three.
- A grand slam off the bat of pitch Tara Baney, in the top of the fifth gave the Huskies an insurmountable 8-0 lead.
- The Tars could not mount a comeback in the bottom of the fifth, going down in order to seal their fate.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS:
Game One
- Sarah Harrison (RF) – 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 Run
- Katelyn Gratza (SS) – 2-3, 2 RBI
- Grace Street – W, CG, 3 Runs, 2 SO
- Sara Demuth – L, 4.0 IP, 6 Runs, 4 ER, 2 SO
Game Two
- Talia Kentoffio (SS) – 1-2
- Kalynn Wheeland – 2-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 Runs
- Abby Summers – L, 4.0 IP, 6 Runs, 5 ER, 7 SO
- Tara Baney – W, CG, 2 Hits, 0 Runs
NOTES:
- Brianne Lint's game one homerun was the 18th of her career, and she now sits just one homerun out of a tie for ninth on the Tars all-time list.
- Rollins has now closed out all the neutral site games on their 2018 schedule, the Tars went 3-6 between the Gulf South Invitational, the South/Southeast Region Crossover, and the PFX Spring Games.
- Michelle Frew is now 789-337-1 in her 22nd season at the helm of the Rollins softball program.
NEXT:
The Tars will close their non-conference slate by hosting a doubleheader against Southern Connecticut State on Thursday, March 15. First pitch against the Owls is scheduled for 5 p.m.
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Rollins softball team, fans can visit RollinsSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest #TARnation news by following Rollins Sports on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
