WINTER PARK, Fla. (May 26, 2023) – The 20th-ranked and fourth-seeded Rollins baseball team took down sixth-seeded Barry in the NCAA II South Super Regional opener on Friday night in Winter Park, 6-4. The Tars improve to 38-17 with the win, while the Bucs drop to 35-18.
Joey Rubin finished 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored while
Jeslyn Whitehead was 2-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI, and a stolen base.
Spencer Sarringar was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, and
Jimmy Thies was 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run, and two RBIs.
Nick Berger (5-4) got the win, allowing four runs on three hits and four walks in six innings, striking out three.
Ryan Murphy earned his first save of the season, tossing three scoreless innings of relief, surrendering just two hits and two walks while striking out one.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Second Inning
- The Bucs nearly took the lead in the top of the second, but Ryan Coleman robbed what would have been a home run above the left field wall to keep it scoreless.
- Coleman then led off the bottom of the inning with an infield single and promptly stole second base.
- After Cameron Meehan drew a walk, Mason Wilson had a productive groundout that pushed both runners into scoring position.
- Thies then hit a slow chopper to third base and Coleman broke for the plate; the throw came in around the same time as Coleman but was a little low, and Coleman's slide beat the tag for the first run of the game.
Third Inning
- Rubin led off the third with an infield single and moved to second on an Adams Torres groundout.
- Whitehead delivered a solid single to center field to score Rubin, doubling the Tar lead to 2-0.
- Two batters later, Meehan hit a line drive to right-center field that the center fielder dropped; the ball squirted far enough away from both outfielders that both Whitehead and Meehan were able to score, doubling the lead once again, this time to 4-0.
Fourth Inning
- The Bucs answered back in the fourth, using two hits, including a two-run home run, three walks, and a pair of sacrifice flies to plate four runs, tying the game at 4-4.
- Thies wasted no time getting the lead back, homering on the first pitch of the bottom of the inning.
- Three batters later, Rubin launched a solo shot over the left-center field fence to give Rollins a 6-4 advantage.
Sixth Inning
- The Tars had a chance to build on their lead in the sixth, loading the bases with nobody out, but an infield fly followed by a double play ended the threat.
Eighth Inning
- Rollins tacked on an insurance run with a quick two-out rally in the eighth.
- Parker Smith reached on an infield single and Sarringar laced the next pitch into left-center field for an RBI double to make it a 7-4 game.
Ninth Inning
- Barry put two men on with one out in the ninth, but Murphy was able to finish the job, thanks in part to a game-ending caught stealing at third base to seal the win.
UP NEXT:
The Tars and Bucs will conclude the Super Regional tomorrow at Alfond Stadium. Game two of the series is set for 2 p.m., and game three, if necessary, would follow shortly afterwards.
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