ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (April 13, 2024) - Baseball took two very different paths in each game on Saturday, but ended up with the same result as they swept the Eckerd Tritons in a key SSC series. The two wins move the Tars to 22-14 on the year including 13-8 against SSC opponents.
Game One
Rollins 5, Eckerd 1
The Tars got the action going in the third when
Jack Herring singled and stole second base. Next up was
Jose Perez, who doubled down the right field line to play his mate, making it 1-0.
The game would blow open in the fourth. Singles from
Andrew Roberts and
Angelo Ramirez put men on the corners with one out.
Jimmy Thies brought in pinch-runner
Nathan Tinder, followed by a two-run bomb from
Stephen Deans to make it 4-0.
Rollins added one more to their total in the fifth when
Chris Sparber doubled in
Mason Wilson, who had reached on a single.
Eckerd got their first baserunner of the game in thr fifth as
Nick Berger kept them in check for seven innings. They scored their only run on a pair of two-out base hits.
Jacob Burr fired the final two innings of the game to secure the win.
Berger turned in another quality start, his sixth of the season. He scattered five hits and did not walk anyone in the win. Perez had three hits and an RBI, while Herring and Ramirez had two knocks each.
Game Two
Rollins 14, Eckerd 8
Eckerd jumped out to an early lead thanks to an error to go up 1-0 in the first. Rollins answered back instantly when Ramirez singled home
Rob Buckley, who had doubled, to tie the game.
The Tritons tagged starter
Ryan Furey for five runs in the third thanks to three hits, two walks, and a fielder's choice, putting them up 6-1.
Absolutely unphased, Rollins was quick to respond with an outburst of their own in the fourth.
Matthew Farner, Ramirez, and
Jimmy Thies loaded the bases with one out. After a strikeout, Herring then cleared the bases with a double to the right field gap. The next batter was Perez, who went big fly to right for a two-run shot, tying the game at six.
Eckerd added runs in the fourth and fifth, jumping back into the lead at 8-6.
Rollins began chipping away in the sixth when Perez brought in Thies with a single. The Tars then took the lead in the seventh on solo home run from
Chris Sparber, a bases loaded hit by pitch from Thies, and a groundball from
Oscar Murray that scored Buckley, making it 10-8.
Eckerd loaded the bases in the eighth inning, but
Ryan Taylor came in from the bullpen and put out the fire with a huge strikeout to escape any damage.
The Tars added insurance in the ninth with yet another Perez RBI single, followed by a three-run jack off the bat of Wilson, making the final of 14-8.
Rollins struck for 15 hits in this one while also walking ten times. Six of their hits went for extra bases. PErez had his best game in the blue and gold, going 5-6 with two runs and four RBI. Herring reached base five times as well on two hits and three walks. Every hitter 1-8 had at least one hit and one run scored.
Next up for Rollins is a Tuesday non-conference matchup against Flagler. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 pm on April 16 from Alfond Stadium.
