WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 22, 2025) – The Rollins College Tars completed the sweep over Lynn on Saturday afternoon thanks to outstanding pitching in the circle. The Fighting Knights managed just one run in each of Saturday's doubleheader contests as the Tars were able to come away with two W's, snatching a 2-1 win in game one and a 4-1 victory in game two.
Game One
Emily MacMullen took to the circle in game one for the Tars and quickly introduced herself to the Fighting Knights, striking out four in the first two innings. Rollins mustered more offense themselves, with three hits across the first two frames, but could not scratch across a run for an advantage.
Lynn picked up their first base knock off MacMullen in the third, by way of a leadoff single, but the senior was able to settle in, retiring the next three Fighting Knights' batters. The Tars took the momentum into the bottom of the third with
Brooke Theisen's one-out triple leading to a run after
Madi Carr's sacrifice fly. For Theisen, the rare triple was her first in a Tars uniform and just the sixth of year for the team.
MacMullen stranded two Fighting Knights in the top of the fourth and after back-to-back strikeouts for Rollins, it appeared that the inning would be fruitless for both sides. But
Kaeli Zahradnik was not ready to call it quits. Facing an 0-2 count with two outs, Zahradnik worked the count full before hammering a ball over the fence in right center to double the Rollins' lead.
Both teams produced a base hit in the fifth, but neither team would score. For Rollins, Bri Perantoni's fifth inning single extended her hit streak to 20 games!
Lynn was finally able to chase MacMullen out of the game following a two-out RBI single. MacMullen's final line was 5.2 IP, five hits, two walks, one earned run and seven Ks. The senior finished just one strikeout shy of tying her season high. Freshman
Camila Leon-Blanco came in to shut the door on the Fighting Knights' threat, picking up a strikeout to leave two ducks on the pond.
The bottom of the sixth looked promising for the Tars to add some insurance runs.
Jaden Walker led off the frame with a leadoff double and two one-out walks loaded the bases. But the Fighting Knights cracked down, keeping the Tars lead at one run.
Leon-Blanco entered the circle for the top of the seventh holding on tight to a 2-1 lead, and the drama rose following a Lynn leadoff single. But the freshman showed poise, bearing down and picking up the save to secure a series win for the Tars. The 2-1 win was the sixth one-run victory on the season and improved the Rollins' record to 20-8 overall.
Game Two
The Tars rode the hot arm into game two of Saturday's doubleheader with the closer of game one's narrow victory,
Camila Leon-Blanco getting the nod in the circle. The freshman powered her way through four innings, exiting in the fifth with the Tars ahead 3-1.
Rollins dug out of a slight deficit to get that lead to put Leon-Blanco in line for her sixth win of the season. Lynn grabbed the advantage in the top of the second with a two-out home run by Teagan Riley. Leon-Blanco bounced back in the third with a scoreless effort, keeping the margin at just one run.
The Fighting Knights saw their lead evaporate in the bottom of the third. After back-to-back singles by
Cambrie Todd and
Makayla Layton, the Tars used two productive outs to knot the game at one a piece.
Then in the fourth, after Leon-Blanco worked out of a jam with the help of a fantastic, 5-3-2 double play which cut down the go-away runner at the dish, the Tars were back for more. The phenomenal play, started by
Brooke Theisen at the hot corner proved to be a game-changer.
With two outs and nobody on,
Marisa Edevane did her best to salvage the inning with a double. After
Kaeli Zahradnik was hit by a pitch and
Cambrie Todd was issued a free pass, the bases were juiced for
Jenna Borkey. The pinch-hitting Borkey took full advantage of her opportunity, singling home Edevane and the speedy Zahradnik to give the Tars a 3-1 lead.
Friday night's starter,
Reese Twiggs took over for Leon-Blanco in the fifth and again shut down a Lynn scoring threat with the help of a double play, this time catching a line-drive herself and flipping to first to snare the runner who had taken off for second base. The web gem play by Twiggs in the field fired up the whole dugout, and the momentum carried into the bottom half.
Consecutive singles by
Brooke Theisen and
Madi Carr jump started the Tars before
Jaden Walker's sacrifice fly added some insurance. The RBI gave the Tars a 4-1 lead, which they held onto heading into the seventh.
With Twiggs on the mound, the three-run deficit must've felt insurmountable. The Rollins ace gave up a two-out double, but that would be the only base runner that reached in the inning, as the Tars closed out the sweep, winning 4-1. The win improves Rollins' conference record to 10-5 and is the fourth SSC series victory.
The Tars will return to action at Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Friday, March 28
th at 4pm when the Florida Tech Panthers pay a visit to Winter Park. If you cannot be there in person, be sure to catch the action live on RollinsSports.com.
