CARY, N.C. (June 9, 2022) – The 20th-ranked Rollins baseball team hit three home runs in the first three innings of Thursday's game, helping the Tars run away with a 12-4 win over No. 4 Point Loma in a must-win game for Rollins at the NCAA II National Championship in Cary, North Carolina. With the win, the Tars (43-16) will take on the Sea Lions (50-9) again tomorrow, with the winner claiming a spot in the national championship.
Jeslyn Whitehead went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and
Joey Rubin was 3-for-6 with a double and a run scored.
Nick Santucci finished 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk, and four RBIs,
Ryan Coleman was 1-for-3 with a home run, two walks, two runs scored, and three RBIs, and
Jared Herron went 1-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored, and a pair of runs batted in.
Jaylyn Whitehead (11-3) tossed his second complete game of the national championship, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits in nine innings of work, walking three and striking out seven while throwing 153 pitches.
Izayah Alvarez was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while Scott Anderson went 2-for-5 for the Sea Lions. Dylan Miller (9-2) took the loss, allowing eight runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings, walking four and striking out three.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Inning
- The Tars put together a two-out rally, sparked by a four-pitch walk to Adams Torres.
- Jeslyn Whitehead then singled to left, moving Torres to second.
- Santucci took a 2-0 pitch and launched it deep over the right-center field fence to put the Tars up 3-0 early.
Second Inning
- Coleman led off the second with a walk, and two batters later, Herron delivered a two-run shot to left to make it a 5-0 game.
Third Inning
- Torres opened the third with a base hit and Jeslyn Whitehead followed with another single, putting two on with no outs.
- Three batters later, with two down and the runners still at first and second, Coleman hooked an 0-1 pitch over the right field fence just inside the foul pole to break the game open, putting Rollins up 8-0.
Sixth Inning
- Herron reached on an error that put him on second base to lead off the sixth.
- Rubin then singled, pushing Heron to third.
- Chase Achuff fouled out three pitches later, but it was deep enough down the right field line that Herron was able to score, building the lead to 9-0.
- The Sea Lions finally got on the board in their half of the sixth, using an error and a pair of fly balls to scrape across their first run.
Eighth Inning
- Rubin and Achuff each singled with one out, and Torres made it three in a row, bringing home Rubin with a one-out single to make it 10-1.
- After Jeslyn Whitehead was hit by a pitch, Santucci drove home Achuff with a sacrifice fly, making it a double-digit lead at 11-1.
- Cameron Meehan was then hit by the next pitch, loading the bases.
- Torres was able to score when the first pitch to Coleman was wild, lifting the Tars to a 12-1 advantage.
Ninth Inning
- Point Loma recorded four straight hits to open the ninth, and eventually plated three runs in the inning, but it was all academic as the Tars cruised to a 12-4 win to extend their season at least to Friday.
UP NEXT:
Because the Sea Lions were 2-0 in the tournament, the Tars will face Point Loma again tomorrow at 1:30 p.m., with the winner of that game advancing to the championship.
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