WINTER PARK, Fla. (February 15, 2020) - The Rollins Tars bats stayed hot again on Saturday as they collected 13 hits en route to an 8-5 victory over the Bentley Falcons.
Steven Swift drew the start for the Tars, and pitched masterfully. Though he did not record a strikeout in his start, the sophomore righty did not allow the Falcons to make solid contact. Over five innings of work, Swift allowed only two hits and one run.
He was given plenty to work with as the Rollins offense remained locked in. The Tars were gifted a pair of runs early in the first when Cameron Meehan and Devon Ortiz both scored on a wild pitch that was kicked all the way to the far end of the Bentley dugout to give Rollins a 2-0 lead. Bentley scored their first run of the game in the top of the third on a Max Troiani RBI single, but Rollins was able to answer back in a big way. With one out in the bottom of the frame, Meehan hit a solo bomb to left for his first home run of the year. Jack Gonzalez and Luke Reidy then followed with back to back singles. After a fly out, Jakob Rolly crushed a pitch to deep center, just missing a home run by a few feet. Hustling all the way, the big DH lumbered all the way around to third for a two-run triple. The next batter, Andres Antonini, then dropped a double into the right-center gap to score Rolly and give Rollins a 6-1 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, shortstop Tyler Colson recorded his first career hit with a sharp line drive to left field. He then swiped second base, and moved to third on an infield single from Meehan. Colson would come around to score when Meehan intentionally got caught in a run down between first and second, allowing the shortstop to slide in safely under a tag attempt at home.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Antonini displayed impressive power when he lifted a fly ball to the opposite field and over the fence in right for his first home run of the season.
Bentley was able to score three runs in the ninth inning during a valiant comeback attempt, but it was too little, too late as the Tars won 8-5.
Swift took home the win, his second of the season. On offense, five different Tars recorded multiple hits, with Meehan's three leading the charge. Rolly, who was 2-3, now has five extra-base hits in his last six games.
The two teams will be back in action one more time on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Alfond Stadium. Fans who cannot attend in person can watch live here. Be sure to stay tuned to RollinsSports.com and our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages for the latest updates.
