WINTER PARK, Fla. (April 5, 2025) - Baseball bounced back from an extra-inning loss on Friday with two dominant wins against the visiting Barry Buccaneers on Saturday. In game one, starter
Nick Berger twirled a complete gem for an 8-0 win, and in game two the Tars used their potent offense to blow past the Bucs 15-4. Rollins now stands at 23-10 on the year with a 13-5 record in the SSC. Barry drops to 19-18, 7-11 SSC.
Game One
Rollins 8, Barry 0
A pair of walks to lead off the game were the biggest mistakes made by
Nick Berger all day. Even with two on and none out, the senior righty was able to pitch out of the jam, and found his groove shortly thereafter. Though Barry managed to put a runner on in each of the first three innings, they were all left stranded.
The offense showed up for their starter in the fourth. After
Jeslyn Whitehead laid down a beauty of a bunt for a hit, he was brought in on a
Dalton Pyzer bomb to right to make it 2-0. Later in the inning, with two outs, the Tars went walk, single, walk with their 7-8-9 hitters to load the bases for leadoff man
Michael Furry. The juco transfer padded the Tars lead with a no-doubter to left field for the grand slam, turning it into a 6-0 game.
Rollins added two more runs in the seventh when Pyzer ripped a double into the right-center gap to plate Whitehead and
Mason Wilson, making the final of 8-0.
Berger struck out two in the eighth, and then punched out the final batter of the ninth to put a bow on his complete game shutout. The Winter Park native finished with a line of nine innings, five hits (all singles), three walks, and eight strikeouts. It was his seventh quality start of the year, and lowered his season ERA from 3.54 to 3.00. Furry and Pyzer each had four RBI to lead the offense.
Game Two
Rollins 15, Barry 4 (7 innings)
The rubber match of the series took on a different look as Barry was able to scrape a run across in their first at bat. In the Tars' half, Whitehead singled with two outs, and was instantly brought in when Wilson lifted a ball into to orbit, well over the left-center wall for a two-run dinger, his team-leading ninth of the year. Pyzer kept the momentum going with a single to left, and
Corey Zientek followed with a triple to right-center to make it 3-1.
After
Tyler Toro worked through the second on the mound, Rollins added a pair of runs in their next at bat when Furry plated
Jimmy Thies with a sac fly and Wilson drove in
Stephen Deans with a groundout.
Barry made it a game in the fourth, pushing across three runs in the inning thanks to a solo home run, a double, a single, and fielding error from the Tars to make it a one-run game at 5-4. They threatened again in the fifth with men on second and third, but Toro induced a groundout to short to escape the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, Rollins picked up their pitcher with another big inning. The first four hitters all worked base hits, scoring two runs. Following a fielder's choice, Furry then stepped up and launched another home run to left, driving in three to make the score 10-4.
The Tars added a run in the sixth on a
Rob Buckley double and then four runs in the seventh.
Joey Rubin joined the home run barrage with a two-run blast, and Aneglo Ramirez delivered a two-run double with the bases loaded a few batters later to make the score 15-4. Because it was a travel day, the coaches agreed to call the game with a ten-run rule, giving Rollins a 15-4 victory, and the series win.
Every player who stepped into the batter's box for Rollins had at least one hit as the team totaled 16 on the day. Furry drove in four and scored twice, while Wilson added three RBI and two runs. Eight of the Tars' 16 hits went for extra bases. Toro captured the win with five innings of work, and Rojas was flawless in his two innings of relief.
Next up for the Tars is a Tuesday mid-week contest at Saint Leo. The two teams will play on April 8 with first pitch scheduled for 5:00 PM.
