WINTER PARK, Fla. (April 7, 2023) - Rollins completed a sweep of Eckerd on Friday, winning both ends of a doubleheader. Rollins now stands at 25-9 on the year, with a 15-3 record against SSC opponents.
Game One
Rollins 7
Eckerd 6
The Tars got off to a perfect start in the first. On the top half,
Edward Berry struck out the side. Then, in their first set of at bats,
Jeslyn Whitehead connected for his first home run of the year, bringing home he and
Adams Torres to make it 2-0.
Eckerd was quick to respond in the second inning. A walk, single, and fielding error led to the first run of the game. Moments later, a bunt single scored a second run to tie things up.
The Tritons struck again to take the lead in the fifth on a two-out double from Kyle Abbott. Thankfully, the Tars were quick to respond when
Axel Post drove in
Jimmy Thies with a base hit up the middle.
Rollins then took the lead in the sixth when Torres, who doubled to lead off the inning, was brought in on a
Ryan Coleman sac fly to put the Tars up 6-5.
Disaster struck in the eighth inning. The first two Tritons walked to lead things off, leading to a pitching change for Rollins. The first pitch from reliever
Spencer Mangum was taken over the fence in left center to put Eckerd up 8-6.
If we've learned anything this season, it's to nver count out the Tars. Whitehead led off the bottom of the eighth with a hustle double, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Coleman RBI groundout.
Cameron Meehan then continued the rally with a single, followed by a walk to
Jack Herring. after a pitching change and a strikeout, both
Parker Smith and
Spencer Sarringar came through with base hits to score Meehan and Herring, giving Rollins a 7-6 lead.
Mangum then shut things down in the ninth, stranding a runner on third base and earning his fourth win of the season.
Four Tars had multiple hits, led by Whiteheads two runs and two RBI. Nikck DiMiceli was very strong on short-notice relief, firing 3.1 innings while allowing just one run and striking out two.
Game Two
Rollins 7
Eckerd 3
There wasn't much to talk about in the first six innings as Brendan Lawry and
Nick Berger were both shoving, tossing twelve halves of shutout baseball.
The action started in the top of the seventh. Eckerd singled to lead off, followed by an errant throw to first base, putting two on with no outs. A sac bunt moved both runners into scoring position. The next hitter ripped a grounder to
Joey Rubin at short, who was able to throw out the lead runner at home. However, a Michael Ballard single to left would bring in the first run of the game, followed by a two-run double off the right field wall from Tyler Cox to make it 3-0 Tritons.
Undeterred, the Tars fought back in the bottom half. With one out, both
Kyle Bullock and
Parker Smith were hit by pitches. After a pitching change,
Spencer Sarringar singled to right to load the bases. It was Rubin up next, and he promptly delivered a two-run single through the left side to bring the Tars within one. The next batter,
Adams Torres, followed suit with a single to center that scored Sarringar and tied the game.
After
Michael Cullen tossed a scoreless eighth, Rollins went for the kill. CameronMeehan led off with a triple to left. He was brought in three batters later on a sac fly from pinch-hitter
Ryan Coleman. Next up was
Parker Smith who did his favorite thing ... obliterating baseballs. He sent a 1-0 fastball about 400 feet over the left-center fence to score two more, making it 6-3. Sarringar then put the cherry on top with a blast of his own to left, his first home run of the season, to make the score 7-3.
Tate Stone-Frisina fired a flawless ninth to close the game out and clinch the sweep.
Sarringar was 4-4 on the day, his season high in hits. Meehan chipped in with a 3-4 day that included a single, double, and triple. Despite the no decision, Berger lowered his season ERA to 0.96, which is the best in the SSC.
Next up for Rollins is a road trip. They are headed out west to take on the #18 Colorado Mesa Mavericks. Games will be played on Aprl 14-16. Live stream links can be found at RollinsSports.com.
