WINTER PARK, Fla. (February 6, 2026) - Baseball's home opener was spoiled by visiting West Florida on Friday as the eleventh-ranked Argonauts defeated Rollins 5-4. The loss moves Rollins to 1-3 on the year, while West Florida remains unbeaten at 4-0.
The Tars got things going in the second inning with a leadoff walk to
Xavier Lopez. After moving to second on a
Jimmy Thies single, Lopez came around on an error by the West Florida second baseman. A strikeout/caught stealing double play on the next play stopped the rally short, however.
After starter
Noah Greenseid used a 5-4-3 double play to get out of the third, the Tars struck again in the bottom half. With two outs,
Collin Hughes singled, and then stole second base.
Michael Furry was up next, launching a ball high into the windy sky. The ball was misplayed by the Argos, and by the time it dropped, Hughes had scored and Furry was on second with a double and a 2-0 lead.
West Florida battled back in the fourth, scoring one on a single to center. In the fifth, they tied the game when Tanner Taylor led off with a double and scored on a Alex Urias single to knot the game.
The Argonauts then added a run in the seventh, using small ball tactics including a sac bunt and a sacrifice fly. In the eighth, two more runs came across on a Taylor single and another sac fly, making the score 5-2.
Rollins received a jolt from
Jayden Brown when he launched a two-run home run to right field, scoring himself and
Connor O'Sullivan, making it a one run game. Unfortunately, the Tars would add two more singles to their total in the last two innings, but that did not result in any runs as they lost 5-4.
The Tars had plenty of chances in this one. They left runners stranded in scoring position in the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings as well as eleven runners overall.
Hughes and Furry each had two hits, while Lopez reached base safely three times via walk. Brown's home run was the first of his Rollins career.
Game two of the three-game set will take place on Saturday, February 7. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm from Alfond Stadium.
