WINTER PARK, Fla. (April 5, 2024) -
Edward Berry started on the mound for Rollins on Friday, and he finished there, too. The junior right-hander tossed a complete game shutout against #1 Tampa as Rollins won 4-0. The Tars now stand at 18-12 on the year with a 10-6 record in the SSC. Tampa falls to 29-4, 10-3 SSC.
Coming into the game, Tampa ranked third in the country in runs, third in on-base percentage, and second in runs per game. Berry was masterful in his domination of the Spartans, limiting them to only two hits (both singles) and not allowing a hit after the fourth inning.
Meanwhile, the Rollins offense looked solid against Alex Canney, who was 8-0 coming into the game. In the bottom of the second,
Chris Sparber led off with a deep dly ball to left that was dropped by the fielder, putting him on second. After moving to third on an infield single,
Rob Buckley then drove in Sparber for the first run of the game.
Jimmy Thies was the next hitter, delivering a sac fly to center that plated Matthew Farner to make it 2-0.
In the fifth, Rollins was at it again.
Angelo Ramirez and
Damaurys Rodriguez each reached on infield singles, with Ramirez also stealing a bag to put men on the corners. Next up was
Jose Perez, who sent a grounder to third that was misplayed, allowing Ramirez to score.
Mason Wilson was then plunked to load the bases, and a sac fly from Sparber brought in Rodriguez to make it 4-0.
Things got interesting in the sixth when Berry walked two hitters, but a slick play from Buckley at first and a massive strikeout kept Tampa off the board.
In the seventh, Berry induced a 6-4-3 double play, the fourth of the game for the Tar defense, setting the Spartans down in order once again.
With his pitch count climbing, head coach
Jon Sjogren kept his ace on the mound, and the move paid off. Berry worked a lineout, strikeout and ground out in the eighth to preserve the lead.
Berry trotted back to the mound for the ninth, making the home fans go wild. He induced a groundout from reigning National Hitter of the Week EJ Cumbo, struck out Stephen Klein, and then made Anthony Nunez line out to right field, ending the stellar performance.
The final line for the Mountain Brook, Alabama native read nine innings, two hits, zero runs, five walks, and eight strikeouts. He ended up with 129 pitches in the complete game.
Rollins is now 7-2 in their last nine games against Tampa, dating back to the 2022 NCAA South Regional. This game marks the first time Tampa has been shutout since April 22, 2022 against Florida Southern, a span of 105 games.
The two teams will finish their series on Saturday in Winter Park with a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 12:00 PM from Alfond Stadium.
