WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 27, 2021) - Rollins suffered a tough loss at home on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Florida Southern Mocs by a score of 5-2 at Alfond Stadium.
The two teams combined for 21 runs in the series opener in Lakeland on Friday night, and it looked like the momentum would carry over to Saturday. Florida Southern got on the board in the top of the first thanks to a two-out RBI single from Alan Burnsed that drove in Vaun Brown. The lead was shortlived however, as the red-hot
Nick Santucci launched the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the first for a solo home run, his team-leading fifth of the season.
The next four innings belonged to starting pitchers Jarrod Cande and
Jaylyn Whitehead. The two hurlers traded four innings of shutout baseball. Rollins looked to have a shot to rally in the second, but left two runners stranded. Other than that, both pitchers were locked in, slowing down two dangerous offenses.
In the top of the sixth, the Mocs were able to strike for a second time when Jacob Teter put one over the right field fence for a solo shot. Burnsed would follow with a double, but Whitehead was able to buckle down and retire the next two hitters to escape the jam. The Tars were quick to respond thanks to Santucci. He walked to lead off, and was able to steal second base. Then, with two outs,
Luke Reidy lined a two-strike pitch into right that scored Santucci to tie things up at two apiece.
Rollins again looked like they would have a chance to score in the seventh, but
Kyle Bullock was thrown at home on an infield grounder. Southern's JJ Niekro was able to strand a pair of base runners in the inning when he got Santucci to lineout sharply to short.
The Mocs busted the game open in the 8th inning. Vaun Brown led things off with a solo home run, and two batters later Teter followed suit with his second of the day, driving in himself and Dylan Costa to make it 5-2.
Santucci enjoyed another great day at the plate, reaching base three times with a home run, single and a walk. Whitehead earned another quality start, going six innings whil scattering four hits with seven strikeouts.
The rubber match will take place in Lakeland on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm at Henley Field.
Tate Stone-Frisina will toe the rubber for the Tars.
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Rollins baseball, 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
