WINTER PARK, Fla. (February 15, 2025) - Rollins baseball once again clinched a home series propelled by an offensive explosion, taking down Assumption 20-11 on Saturday afternoon. The Tars (5-3) jumped out to an early lead, saw the Greyhounds tie the game, and pulled away late thanks to their hot bats.
It looked like Rollins would run away with things after the first four innings from Alfond Stadium. Two home runs in the bottom half of the third gave the Tars a 5-0 lead courtesy of
Michael Furry's three-run jack and
Mason Wilson's two-run blast. Both came with two strikes.
Jeslyn Whitehead notched a two-out single to increase the lead to 7-0 in the fourth, and there was no sign of stopping for the Tars offense.
Then in the fifth, the Greyhounds started to crawl back into the game. After the first three men of the inning reached, back-to-back singles pulled Assumption within four.
Robert Ogg stopped any further damage, coming in to get consecutive strikeouts and a fly out to end the frame.
An RBI double by
Rob Buckley in the bottom of the fifth got one back for the Tars, but Assumption was just getting started. The Greyhounds sent eight to the plate in the top of the sixth, scoring four runs themselves to make it an 8-7 ballgame.
Mason Wilson provided some breathing room, staying hot with a two-run double later in the inning. Wilson's double seemed to provide a sense of relief, making the score 10-7, but the scrappy Greyhounds simply would not go away. Once again in the top of the seventh, Assumption scored four runs, this time sending nine to the plate. When it was all said and done, the Tars found themselves trailing for the first time all day, 11-10.
But the Tars would not go quietly into the night. Singles by Buckley,
Jimmy Thies and Furry loaded the bases, and one wild pitch later the game was tied. Then, with two outs, the reliable Whitehead delivered again. His two-run single gave the Tars the lead, and one batter later,
Mason Wilson added insult to injury with a two-run bomb. The clutch hitting on behalf of Wilson and Whitehead was the theme of the day. The two combined to go 7-for-11 in the three and four spots of the order, tallying eleven RBI.
Wilson and Whithead weren't the only one with solid days; nine batters recorded a hit for the Tars, including pinch-hitter
Robbie Vitale, who roped a double in the eighth inning to record his first career RBI. It was in the same frame that the Tars put up another crooked number, fueled by a two-run home run by
Jimmy Thies and an RBI single by
Corey Zientek. Thies and Zientek each had outstanding days themselves, recording three hits each.
While Saturday's twenty-run output makes the offense catch the main headline,
Jackson Edelman's performance on the mound deserves some flowers as well. The senior shut the door on the Greyhounds comeback, pitching two scoreless innings. He was credited with the win.
Douglas Rojas was also impressive on the mound once again for the Tars, pitching a scoreless ninth.
The Tars will look to complete the sweep tomorrow at noon. Catch the game live at Alfond Stadium or watch the free live stream on RollinsSports.com.
