WINTER PARK, Fla. (February 23, 2025) - Rollins bounced back nicely after Saturday's loss, winning game three and taking the SSC-opening series against Saint Leo with a 7-2 win on Sunday. The Tars now stand at 9-4 on the year and 2-1 in SSC play. The Lions drop to 4-9, 1-2 SSC.
After starter Nick Bergeer set the Lions down in order with three groundouts in the first, his shortstop
Joey Rubin put the Tars on the board with a solo home run to left-center. Another quiet inning for the Lions in the second led to Rollins scoring again in their next go-round.
Corey Zientek singled, stole second, moved to third on a ground ball, and came into score on a sac fly from
Jimmy Thies to make it 2-0.
Berger received an all-out effort from his left fielder,
Angelo Ramirez, in the third. Dylan McDonald lifted a ball deep down the left field line, but Ramirez was able to track it down and make a diving catch. As Roberto Odor scampered back to first base, he missed touching second, and the Tars were able to step on the bag to force the double play. Rollins used the momentum to score two more times in the third as
Mason Wilson and Zientek each delivered sac flies to push the score to 4-0.
Following another three up, three down effort from Berger in the fourth, Rubin and
Jeslyn Whitehead delivered RBI, making it a 6-0 ballgame.
Saint Leo tried to make a game of it in the sixth as they finally got to Berger. The inning started single, hit by pitch, single, it by pitch to bring in a run. They added a second run on a Thomas DeBrower sac fly, but Berger forced a groundout to the next batter, leaving a runner stranded on third.
The scoring wrapped up in the bottom of the seventh when
Chris Sparber sent an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left field for his second home run of the season.
Berger was efficient yet again in the win, tossing seven innings while allowing two runs on five hits. He did not walk a batter, and had two strikeouts. It was his fourth straight win of the season, and second consecutive quality start.
Plenty of Tars had monster efforts at the plate.
Michael Furry reached for times with a double and a triple. Rubin was 2-2 at the plate, walked two times, and drove in a pair. Whitehead also made it on base four times, using three hits and a walk to his advantage. It his eighth multi-hit game of the season, and he is now batting .491.
Next up for the Tars is a road SSC series against Embry-Riddle. First pitch of game one will be at 6:00 pm in Daytona Beach on Friday, February 28.
