GULF SHORES, Ala. (Feb. 4, 2023) – The Rollins softball team opened the 2023 season with a bang on Saturday, downing No. 4 Auburn Montgomery, 9-3 in five innings, before defeating West Georgia, 4-3. The Tars jump to 2-0 on the season, while AUM fell to 1-2 and UWG dropped to 0-3.
RV Rollins 9, No. 4 Auburn Montgomery 3
Jaden Walker went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBIs, while
Kaeli Zahradnik was 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and three RBIs.
Emily MacMullen pitched two scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out four, while
Ashley Worrell (1-0) got the win, surrendering three earned runs on two hits and four walks with five strikeouts in three innings of work.
Chloe Derrick was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs for the WarHawks, while Shelby Newsome went 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI. Avery Dickerson took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits with three strikeouts and no walks in three innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Third Inning
- After AUM got on the board first with a run in the top of the third, Brie Michelli scored on a strikeout in the bottom of the inning to tie things at a run apiece.
Fourth Inning
- The WarHawks regained the lead with a run in the fourth, but the Tars answered back with four runs of their own to pull ahead.
- Walker tied the game with an RBI double and then scored on a Zahradnik single to give Rollins a 3-2 lead.
- Sarah Young then tripled home Zahradnik to make it 4-2, and Young later came home on a strikeout to build the lead to 5-2.
Fifth Inning
- AUM got a run back in the fifth, but Rollins used another four-spot to close out the game in its half of the inning.
- Walker collected another RBI with a double and Zahradnik doubled home a pair, while Young picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly to account for the 9-3 final.
RV Rollins 4, West Georgia 3
Worrell went 3-for-3 with an RBI and
Ashley Troutman was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in game two. MacMullen (1-0) earned the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks in six innings of work, while Worrell collected her first save with a hitless and scoreless seventh inning, striking out the side.
R.J. Janke went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI for the Wolves, while Madison Vandergiff was 1-for-1 with two hit-by-pitches, a stolen base, and an RBI. Calli Hardison (0-1) took the loss, giving up three runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk with one strikeout in three innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Inning
- The Wolves took advantage of three Tar errors and collected four hits to plate three runs in the top of the first, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead.
Third Inning
- Worrell got Rollins on the board with a one-out RBI single in the third.
- Grace Germer scored on an error and Lex Frederick trotted home on a groundout to tie the game at three.
Fourth Inning
- Troutman laced a two-out RBI double to score Zahradnik with the go-ahead run in the fourth inning.
Seventh Inning
- Worrell came on to pitch the seventh, and after hitting the first batter, she struck out the side to nail down the save and preserve the 4-3 win.
UP NEXT:
The Tars will wrap up the Gulf Shores Invitational with an 11 a.m. contest against West Alabama tomorrow morning.
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
Facebook,
Twitter, and
Instagram.
