Sailfish Stun Tars at Home

WINTER PARK, Fla. (April 21, 2023) - Rollins was stunned at home, dropping their series opener against the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish by a score of 5-4 on Friday night. The Tars now stand at 26-12 on the year with a 15-4 record in SSC play.

The Sailfish jumped on starter Nick Berger early on. The first four hitters all reached base via one walk and three singles. Only one run scored though, thanks to a caught stealing from catcher Spencer Sarringar. 

Palm Beach Atlantic struck again in the third. With one out, Ben Green tripled off the right-center wall. During the next at bat, Berger was called for a balk, bringing in the second run of the game. 

The Tars struggled at the plate, totaling only three hits through seven innings against Sailfish starter Dan Beebe. They didn't get a runner into scoring position until the fifth, when Parker Smith walked and moved up on a groundout. He was ultimately stranded there. 

Berger also bounced back nicely, mowing down the Sailfish in innings four through seven, keeping it a 2-0 game. He wrapped up his day with a line of six innings, six hits, two runs, and four strikeouts. The outing was his fifth quality start of the season. 

The Sailfish padded their lead in the ninth inning, scoring three runs on five hits. At one point, they bunted for three consecutive singles.

 In their final at bat, Rollins was able to push a run across when Adams Torres walked, Ryan Coleman doubled, and a passed ball allowed Torres to cross the plate. Three batters later, Parker Smith parked one over the right field fence for a three-run blast, making it 5-4. The rally stopped there for the Tars, however, as the final hitter struck out. 

Smith's home run gives him 16 on the year, the third-highest single season total in Tars history. It was also his 30th career blast, the fourth-highest career total in Tars history. 

The two teams will wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 PM from Alfond Stadium.