DAYTONA, Fla. (May 13, 2023) - Rollins ended their regular season with a third straight loss at the hands of the Embry-Riddle Eagles, falling 10-7. The Tars will enter the playoffs at 34-16, and wrap up conference play with a 22-8 record in the SSC.
Rollins jumped out to an early lead in the first when
Cameron Meehan ripped a two-out double down the left field line to bring home
Adams Torres and
Ryan Coleman. Embry-Riddle responded immediately in their first at bat, scoring twice on three hits.
After a quiet second inning, the Eagles blew the game open in the third. Two walks and a single brought in the first run of the inning. Starter
Kieran Casey got the next two hitters out, but then plunked a batter and walked another to bring in another run.
Ryan Furey was called on out of the pen, and allowed a pair of two-run base hits to make it 8-2.
Embry-Riddle added another run in the fourth before Rollins was able to make a mini comeback. Torres led off the fifth with a solo bomb to left. After
Jeslyn Whitehead singled, Meehan also delivered a roundtripper, bringing in two more for Rollins to make it 9-5.
The Eagles responded with a solo shot of their own to get to their final of ten runs in the fifth. In the top of the sixth, Torres launched his second dinger of the day with one out, sneaking it inside of the left field foul pole. Two batters later, Coleman put one over the right field wall to make the final of 10-7.
Rollins had two men on with no outs in the top of the ninth, but were shut down after a pitching change, ending the game.
Torres was the top performer for Rollins, going 4-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. Meehan was also solid, collecting three hits and driving in four. Five Tars had multiple hits in this one, and the team collected seven extra-base hits.
Spencer Mangum was the top arm for Rollins, tossing three shutout innings with four strikeouts.
It's certainly not the way that Rollins wants to roll into the NCAA South Regional, but they should still have a strong enough resume to be selected. The selection show will take place on Sunday, May 14 at 11:00 PM.
The Tars' 22-8 record in SSC play is by far their best effort under
Jon Sjogren's tenure, besting last year's mark of 18-12.
