WINTER PARK, Fla. (February 8, 2026) – Rollins and West Florida met for the deciding game of their three-game set on Sunday. In a back and forth battle, the Argos prevailed, winning 9-7 to take the series victory.
West Florida got the scoring started in the top of the first, striking one across off Rollins starter
Brody Meyers. The Tars were positioned to knot things up in the bottom of the frame, but a line-out double play suddenly ended the threat.
Things heated up in the second. After consecutive singles for the Argos, Meyers got the lead out by way of the K. The next batter, West Florida doubled their advantage via a sacrifice fly by lead off man Trent Kelly. With two away, the Argos were able to do more damage. Consecutive doubles made the score 4-0 before the teams traded sides.
Immediately, the Tars trimmed the deficit. Matt Mateo launched his second homer of the season on the first pitch of the bottom half, setting in the tone for what would be a back-and-forth contest.
Connor O'Sullivan saw what his counterpart did and wanted to join in on the fun. With one out, O'Sullivan deposited his first home run in a Tars uniform, extending his hit streak to four games, and cutting the West Florida lead in half simultaneously. Four straight singles followed, highlighted by RBI from
Joey Rubin and
Collin Hughes. Rollins loaded the bases, but West Florida shut things down from there. Still, the scoreboard read 4-4 entering the third.
The offense did not slow down in the top of the third. West Florida added two more to their total, making the score 6-4 in favor of the Argos.
Tyler Toro entered from the Tars bullpen to get out of the frame after West Florida loaded up the bases with two outs.
It didn't take long for the Tars to tie things up again. After the teams traded goose eggs, Rollins did not spoil a bases-loaded, no outs situation.
Michael Furry singled to left for his sixth RBI on the young season, and Mateo added to his stat line with a sac fly. Again, the score was tied, this time at six.
An empty fifth, a rarity today, kept things even. West Florida added two runs off Toro in the sixth to snag the lead, but Toro's day on the bump contained the hot swinging visitors overall. The senior, lasting three and a third, surrendered one earned across sixteen batters faced.
The Argos crossed the plate once more in the seventh, while the Tars bats remained quiet. A quick 1-2-3 eighth produced by
David Austen maintained a 9-6 ballgame, but once again Rollins couldn't pull closer despite
Joey Rubin's two out single. The hit gave Rubin his fourth multi-hit game in the early going.
Ryan Taylor did the job in the top of the ninth, keeping the Tars within striking distance tossing a clean inning. It all came down to the bottom of the ninth, and with one out,
Xavier Lopez made things a little more interesting. Lopez hammered his first homer in a Tars uniform over the right field wall, but that would be as close as the Tars would get.
The 9-7 loss drops Rollins to 2-4, while West Florida improves to 5-1. Next Friday begins a four-game series with Assumption University, right back here in Winter Park. First pitch of the series takes place at 2pm.
