VALDOSTA, Ga. (March 18, 2026) - Softball took a quick trip up I-75 to take on the Valdosta State Blazers on Wednesday. The two teams split the doubleheader, with Valdosta State taking game one and Rollins coming back for the win in game two. The Tars now stand at 17-7, while the Blazers sit at 14-12.
Game One
Valdosta State 6
Rollins 2
Rollins jumped out to an early lead in the first inning with Made Carr ripping a double to left center that scored
Brianna Perantoni. Their excitement was short-lived, however, when Valdosta State answered back with six runs in the bottom of the frame. Four walks and three hits, including a bases-clearing triple, had the Tars in a deep hole.
The Tars had a runner on third in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, but failed to score a run. Meanwhile, starter
Reese Twiggs found her groove and kept the Blazers off the board for the remainder of the game.
Rollins added one more run with a
Claire Long sac fly in the seventh to make the final of 6-2.
Twiggs fired 112 pitches in the loss, scattering four hits in six innings. Savannah Barfield was the winning pitcher for the Blazers, tossing a complete game with six strikeouts.
Game Two
Rollins 4
Valdosta State 3
A dose of small ball put the Blazers on the board first, using a sac bunt and a groundout to score once in their initial at bat. Rollins got the run back in the second though, thanks to another sac fly from Long.
Valdosta State had the instant answer in the bottom half. The Tars handed them a great opportunity with a a hit batter, a walk, and an error to load the bases. Annalise Buncy took advantage, lacing a single to the gap that plated two to make it a 3-1 game.
The score remained the same all the way until thee top of the sixth when
Rachel Matthiesen led off the inning with a solo home run. After
Camila Leon-Blanco fired a third consecutive 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, the Tars had one last chance to come through.
Gabriella Barrera was called on to pinch hit, and smashed a double to center field to lead off the seventh.
Cambrie Todd, another pinch-hitter, immediately brought her in with a single, tying the game. Leon-Blanco dazzled once again in the seventh, putting the Blazers down in order.
In the top of the eighth, Mattheisen copied her effort from the sixth, smashing her second solo home run of the game over the right field fence to give Rollins a 4-3 lead. That's all Leon-Blanco needed as she struck out the last two batters of the game to seal the win.
Leon-Blanco tossed all eight innings in the complete game win, allowing just one earned run on three hits with six strikeouts. Matthiesen was the offensive MVP with her two home runs.
Rollins will return home this weekend for the first time since March 9 when they host the Nova Southeastern Sharks at MLK Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6pm on Friday, March 20.
