ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (April 15, 2022) – The 11th-ranked Rollins baseball team bounced back from Thursday's walk-off defeat in a big way, scoring a total of 30 runs in a doubleheader sweep at Eckerd on Friday. The Tars won a slugfest in the opener, 12-11, before dominating the series finale, 18-5. The victories improve Rollins' record to 28-11 overall, 13-8 in SSC play, while the Tritons drop to 15-20, 8-10 in conference games.
Game 1 – No. 11 Rollins 12, Eckerd 11
Eight different Tars scored a run and all nine starters reached base via a walk or hit in the first game.
Jeslyn Whitehead was 4-for-5 with a double, a walk, a run scored, and two RBIs, while
Adams Torres went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs.
Cameron Meehan finished 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs, and
Jared Herron was 2-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, and two runs scored.
Justin Alintoff started for Rollins, surrendering seven runs on eight hits in 2.2 innings, walking one and striking out two.
Tate Stone-Frisina (4-1) got the win, giving up four runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings of relief, striking out four and walking two.
Austin Long earned his fifth save, pitching a scoreless ninth inning with one walk and one hit allowed.
Jake Andriole was 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs for the Tritons, while Dimerson Nunez was 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Brendan Lawry (1-3) took the loss, giving up five runs on seven hits in two innings, walking three and striking out one.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Inning
- The Tars wasted no time getting on the board as Torres lifted a two-run home run to left just three batters into the game.
- Jeslyn Whitehead followed with a walk and Nick Santucci then doubled, putting two runners in scoring position.
- Whitehead then came home to score on an errant pickoff throw by the catcher, making it 3-0.
- Ryan Coleman made it 4-0 with a base hit to score Santucci.
- Mikey Burke hit a leadoff home run for the Tritons and Tyler Cox connected for a two-run homer to cut the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the first.
Second Inning
- Torres singled home Rubin with one out in the second to push the Tars to a 5-3 advantage.
- A Nunez sac fly scored a run for Eckerd in its half of the second, making it a 5-4 game.
Third Inning
- Meehan and Herron drew back-to-back walks to open the third.
- Rubin then reached on an infield single that loaded the bases with nobody out.
- Chase Achuff knocked in a run with an RBI groundout and Torres followed with a sac fly to score Herron, increasing Rollins' lead to 7-4.
- Jeslyn Whitehead then ripped a double to center to score Rubin, making it 8-4.
- The Tritons again had an answer, using four hits and an error to plate three runs in the third, getting back to within a run at 8-7.
Fourth Inning
- A Meehan two-run home run put the Tars up 10-7 and two batters later Rubin singled home Herron to make it 11-7.
Sixth Inning
- The Tritons opened the sixth with three straight singles, eventually leading to a pair of runs to cut the deficit to 11-9.
Seventh Inning
- A Jeslyn Whitehead RBI single gave the Tars what would prove to be an important insurance run in the seventh, making it a 12-9 game.
Ninth Inning
- Andriole hit a two-run homer with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth to get the Tritons within a run at 12-11.
- Long then came in and pitched around a base hit and walk, recording the final two outs of the game with runners standing on second and third to nail down the save.
Game 2 – No. 11 Rollins 18, Eckerd 5
In game two, nine different Tars scored a run and nine different players reached base via a walk or hit. Achuff was 4-for-6 with a double, a walk, three runs scored, and an RBI, while Santucci was 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two walks, three runs scored, and four RBIs. Meehan finished 3-for-4 with a double and two walks, while
Timothy Mira was 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.
Nick Berger (1-1) got the win, allowing three runs on six hits in 5.1 innings, walking two and striking out four.
Steven Swift,
Spencer Mangum, and
Ryan Murphy combined to give up just two runs (one earned) on three hits in 3.2 innings of relief.
Nunez went 2-for-3 with two RBIs for Eckerd in game two, while Andriole was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Curtis Perry (3-2) was tagged with the loss, giving up six runs on eight hits in four innings, walking two and striking out one.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Inning
- As in game one, the Tars scored early, with Santucci delivering a two-out, three-run home run to give Rollins an early 3-0 lead.
Third Inning
- Coleman made it 4-0 Tars with a two-out RBI single in the third.
Fifth Inning
- Jeslyn Whitehead kicked off the fifth inning with a double and Santucci followed suit with a double of his own to score Whitehead with the Tars' fifth run of the game.
- Four batters later, Mira singled home Santucci, and Meehan was able to score on an error on the play, making it a 7-0 game.
- Nunez singled home a pair with two outs in the bottom of the fifth for the first runs of the game for Eckerd, trimming the deficit to 7-2.
Sixth Inning
- Achuff led off the sixth with a single and promptly stole second.
- After advancing to third on a groundout, Achuff was able to score via a balk, making it 8-2.
- A Joe Muzio sacrifice fly got the run back for Eckerd, cutting Rollins' lead to 8-3.
Seventh Inning
- The Tar offense exploded in the seventh, scoring 10 runs on eight hits while sending 15 batters to the plate.
- Coleman led off with a base on balls, and Kyle Bullock followed with a double to put two men in scoring position.
- Mira singled home Coleman to make it 9-3, and Bullock then came home on a wild pitch to increase the lead to 10-3.
- Two batters later, Achuff doubled home Mira to push the advantage to 11-3.
- After Torres walked, Jeslyn Whitehead reached on a throwing error which allowed Achuff and Torres to score, building the lead to 13-3.
- Santucci then walked and Meehan followed with a single, which put a Tar at every base.
- Andres Antonini poked a pinch-hit single through the right side to score Whitehead, giving Rollins a 14-3 lead.
- Bullock singled home two more runs to make it 16-3, and Mira followed him with a single to re-load the bases.
- Antonini was then forced home via a balk, and Drew Howard delivered a sac fly to score Bullock, making it an 18-3 game.
- The Tritons got one run back thanks to an Andriole RBI hit-by-pitch, but the lead stood at 18-4 after seven.
Ninth Inning
- Eckerd got its final run on a wild pitch with one out in the ninth, but Murphy was able to close out the game to give the Tars a convincing 18-5 win.
UP NEXT:
The Tars will travel to Lakeland on Wednesday, April 20 to take on Florida Southern in a non-conference game at 6 p.m.
Fans can follow the Tars all season long at RollinsSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest #TARnation news by following Rollins Sports on
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