WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 28, 2024) – The 21st-ranked Rollins softball team split a doubleheader on Thursday against visiting Barry, winning the opener, 9-5, before dropping the nightcap, 1-0 in nine innings. The Tars are now 28-8 overall and 11-6 in conference play, while the Bucs go to 28-11 overall, 13-4 in SSC games.
Game 1 – No. 21 Rollins 9, Barry 5
Claire Long went 2-for-2 with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI, while
Brie Michelli was 2-for-3 with a three-run home run.
Ashley Worrell (14-4) was 1-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run at the plate and got the win in the circle, allowing five unearned runs on five hits in 5.1 innings of work, walking one and striking out three.
Reese Twiggs earned her third save of the season, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings with one hit and one walk allowed, notching one strikeout.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Inning
- Grace Germer led off the bottom of the first with an infield single and moved to second on a catcher's interference that allowed Long to reach.
- After Worrell hit into a fielder's choice that allowed Germer to go to third, Sarah Young struck out, but the ball got past the catcher and Germer scampered home with the first run of the game.
Fourth Inning
- Young opened the fourth with a base hit to left.
- Three batters later, Marisa Edevane laced a two-out single to keep the inning going.
- On the very next pitch, Michelli launched a three-run home run to dead center field, putting Rollins up 4-0.
Fifth Inning
- Taylor Waters and Long started the fifth with back-to-back singles.
- Worrell stepped up and deposited a 1-1 pitch over the right field fence to increase the lead to 7-0.
Sixth Inning
- Barry took advantage of four Rollins errors in the sixth to send 10 batters to the plate, scoring five runs to trim the deficit to 7-5.
- Michelli led off the home half with a base hit, with Rachel Bauer coming off the bench to pinch run for her.
- Germer then reached on a throwing error that put runners at second and third.
- Waters hit the first pitch she saw to deep center field, driving in Bauer with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-5.
- Long then singled home Germer to make it a 9-5 game.
Seventh Inning
- Twiggs, who came on in the sixth, pitched around a leadoff walk in the seventh to slam the door on the Bucs, earning the save and securing the 9-5 win.
- During the next at-bat, both runners advanced on a passed ball, and on the next pitch, Degnan scored on another passed ball to end the game early with an 8-0 final score.
Game 2 – Barry 1, No. 21 Rollins 0 (9 innings)
In game two, Waters and
Taylor Hartman were each 2-for-4, while
Olivia Alvarez was 1-for-3 with a double.
Emily MacMullen (7-2) took the loss, allowing just one run on six hits in a nine-inning complete game, walking two and striking out six.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Inning
- Germer led off the first with a walk and Waters followed that with a single to put two on with nobody out.
- Rollins tried a double-steal, but Germer was caught stealing third for the first out.
- After a flyout, Worrell was intentionally walked, which was immediately followed by a passed ball that pushed both runners into scoring position.
- The Tars couldn't capitalize on the opportunity, stranding both runners.
Fourth Inning
- Rollins had another scoring chance in the fourth, with runners on the corners with nobody out, but a failed squeeze play led to another caught stealing, and the Tars came up empty once again.
Seventh Inning
- The first time a Barry runner reached third base came with two outs in the seventh, and MacMullen was able to strand her there to keep the shutout intact.
Eighth Inning
- A dropped fly ball opened the bottom of the eighth, and two batters later Waters singled to put two Tars on the bases with one out.
- After a popout, a wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third, which led to the Bucs intentionally walking Worrell for the second time in the game, third time on the day, which loaded the bases.
- Young had a great battle with the Barry pitcher, fouling off eight pitches in the 10-pitch at-bat, but her hard grounder was right at the third baseman who stepped on the bag for the final out, leaving the bases loaded.
Ninth Inning
- BU was able to use two singles and a stolen base to scratch across a run in the ninth, which would prove to be the lone run of the game.
- Alvarez gave the home crowd reason to hope with a ringing two-out double in the bottom of the inning, but she was left at second base as the Bucs held on for the 1-0 win.
UP NEXT:
These same two teams will be back in action tomorrow, March 29, to wrap up the series with a single game set to start at 12 p.m.
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