WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 23, 2024) -
Game One
Florida Tech 5, Rollins 3
It took a while for the scoreboard to light up as
Edward Berry and Josh Beck were locked in a solid pitcher's duel. Berry pitched himself out of two jams in the second and third innings when Tech put two men on each time. The junior righty was able to escape both times with no damage done.
Rollins jumped ahead in the fourth inning with the power part of their lineup.
Mason Wilson led things off with a double down the left field line. The next pitch to
Chris Sparber was blasted over the wall in left for a two-run shot, Sparber's seventh big fly of the season, to put Rollins up 2-0.
The Panthers responded in the fifth with two singles and a sac fly to cut the lead in half. Rollins was quick with an answer though when Wilson singled home
Jose Perez on a 1-2 pitch to make it 3-1.
The lead would be short lived. Berry was replaced on the mound by
Jacob Burr, who allowed a pair of runs thanks to a hit by pitch, a double, a groundout, and a single, tying the game at three.
The bats went cold in innings seven and eight for both sides, but Florida Tech found themselves again in the ninth. A leadoff single put a man on, and two batters later, Carlos Guzman lifted a flyball over the left field wall for a two-run shot, the eventual game winner.
Wilson had two hits, while Sparber's two RBI were the bets on the offense. Berry earned another no decision with five innings, four hits, one run, and four strikeouts.
Game Two
Rollins 10, Florida Tech 4
Rollins took advantage of erratic pitching from the Panthers in game two to pull out a big win.
In the first, an RBI double from
Chris Sparber got the scoring going as he brought in
Jack Herring.
Matthew Farner then plated Wilson with a groundout to go up 2-0.
After the Panthers added one in the top of the second, Rollins added two more to their total with a two-run base hit from Herring.
Florida Tech answered with one in the third, but Rollins got a big boost in the fifth thanks to the Panthers' pitchers. Two walks and four wild pitches, coupled with a pair of sac flies, created three more runs for the Tars, putting them up 7-2.
Again, the Panthers tried to stay in the game by scoring twice in the top of the sixth with a sac fly and a single, making it 7-4. After
Nate Thomas stranded to runners, Herring stepped up in a big way in the bottom half, smoking an absolute moonshot to right that cleared the scoreboard, driving in
Jose Perez,
Oscar Murray, and himself to make it 10-4.
Thomas fired scoreless frames in the seventh, eighth, and ninth to earn the save.
Herring ended game two with three hits in four at bats, plus a walk and five RBI. He also scored twice. Sparber was solid as well with two hits, a walk, a run and an RBI.
The rubber match for these two teams will take place on Sunday, March 24 from Winter Park. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
