FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (March 15, 2025) - Rollins College was swept by Nova Southeastern following two narrow defeats at the hands of the Sharks in Saturday's doubleheader. Valiant pitching efforts kept the Tars alive, but the offense couldn't quite get over the hump, falling 2-0 in game one and 7-6 (13 innings) in game two.
Game One
The Tars dropped game one at the hands of the Sharks 2-0 on Saturday afternoon. Despite out-hitting Nova Southeastern eight to three, Rollins could not capitalize on chances, stranding runners in scoring position in each of the final two innings.
Emily MacMullen got the nod in the circle, and managed to keep the Tars in the game, working out of trouble on a few occasions. MacMullen worked a clean first inning, but found trouble in the bottom of the second after a walk and hit-by-pitch. But the senior bounced back, retiring the next three Sharks in order to end the threat.
Then, in the third, MacMullen left a runner 60 feet away to keep the game scoreless. Unfortunately for the Tars, they followed a similar script, leaving ducks on the pond all game long.
Claire Long was cut down at home attempting to steal a run in the top half of the same inning. After Rollins went down in order in the top of the fourth, Nova Southeastern broke the tie with a leadoff homerun to left. The Sharks tacked on one more in the fifth with a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0.
The best chance for Rollins came in the sixth following consecutive singles by
Madi Carr and
Makayla Layton. After
Brooke Theisen's fielder's choice gave the Sharks their first out,
Jenna Borkey loaded the bases with a bunt single. It appeared that a big inning was in order for the Tars, but a pop up double play ended the threat.
Rollins again loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but back-to-back strike outs ended the game. MacMullen took the loss despite going six strong innings in the circle.
Game Two
Reese Twiggs took to the circle for the second time of the series in game two and was provided early run support thanks to Long. The junior hammered a two-run homer in the top of the second, scoring
Jaden Walker, who had walked in the previous at bat. Nova Southeastern got one back in the bottom half of the frame with a two-out RBI double, cutting the Tars lead in half.
The Tars lead later evaporated in the bottom of the third, largely thanks to free passes. The Sharks started the inning with a leadoff triple, and consecutive walks quickly loaded the bases and ended the day on the rubber for Twiggs after two plus innings.
Grace Hautzinger came in to relieve Twiggs and had similar struggles, walking two runners in to give the Sharks the lead, 3-2. The freshman mitigated the damage, however, with three strikeouts, stranding the bases loaded.
In the top of the fourth, Rollins again left chances out there, stranding two in scoring position – the storyline all series long up to that point. The pattern would change in the fifth, however, when
Brie Michelli doubled to score Layton to tie the game. One batter later, Carr followed suit with a double of her own to score Michelli and give the Tars the lead.
Rollins added two more in the top half of the sixth, both with two outs. A Sharks error gifted the Tars with a second life and
Cambrie Todd took full advantage. The junior singled to left scoring
Kaeli Zahradnik and Long, extending the lead to 6-3.
A leadoff homerun by Nova Southeastern in the bottom of the sixth pulled the Sharks a little closer, but Hautzinger would hold them there entering the final frame.
Rollins reverted to old habits of the series, stranding two more runners in the seventh. The missed opportunity proved costly, when Nova Southeastern struck two across in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at six and send it to extra innings.
This one was just getting started. The Sharks left the bases loaded in the eighth while the Tars followed suit in the tenth, leaving three on base themselves, aided by two Sharks errors. Nova Southeastern would again leave the bases loaded in the bottom of the eleventh but finally found a run in the bottom half of the thirteenth to win 7-6 in walk-off fashion.
Rachel Matthiesen picked up the loss in the circle, but tossed a herculean effort in relief. The freshman went 6.1 IP with eight strikeouts to her name. The appearance was just Matthiesen's third of her college career and an impressive one at that.
The Tars return home to take on Lynn next weekend with the first game of the series taking place on Friday, March 21. First pitch will be at 6pm. Catch the action live from Martin Luther King Jr. Park or on-demand at Rollinssports.com.
