WINTER PARK, Fla. – Rollins softball swept No. 14 Saginaw Valley State on Monday, earning a 9-3 victory in game one before holding off the Cardinals, 9-8, in the nightcap.
Game One – Rollins 9, #14 Saginaw Valley State 3
Saginaw Valley struck first, using a pair of hits in the opening frame to take a 1-0 lead.
Madi Carr recorded Rollins' first hit of the evening in the bottom half, but the Tars left two aboard.
The Cardinals extended the lead to 2-0 on a solo home run in the second and pushed it to 3-0 in the third with the help of walks and timely contact.
Rollins answered in the bottom of the third.
Brianna Perantoni led off with a single and moved into scoring position before
Rachel Matthiesen drove her in with a base hit to get the Tars on the board.
Jenna Borkey followed with a single to put two on, and
Marisa Edevane delivered the big swing of the inning, doubling to right to clear the bases and tie the game at three.
After a quiet stretch, the Tars seized control in the fifth.
Brooke Theisen opened the inning with a base hit, and Matthiesen followed to put runners on the corners. Although the Cardinals cut down a run at the plate, Rollins loaded the bases, and Edevane drew a hit-by-pitch to force in the go-ahead run.
Cambrie Todd added insurance with a two-RBI single, and
Kaeli Zahradnik followed with an RBI knock to stretch the advantage to 7-3.
Rollins continued to build in the sixth.
Daylin Hejtmanek worked a leadoff walk and advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Perantoni. Back-to-back hits from Theisen and Matthiesen brought her home, and Carr added another RBI later in the inning to extend the lead to 9-3.
The Tars closed it out with a three-up, three-down seventh.
Reese Twiggs earned the win after tossing 5.1 innings, while
Addison Crawford entered in relief to finish the contest and secure the save.
Game Two – Rollins 9, #14 Saginaw Valley State 8
The Cardinals came out swinging in game two, launching a grand slam in the first inning to take a 4-0 lead. They added another run in the second to stretch the margin to five.
Rollins began chipping away in the bottom of the second. Zahradnik reached on an error, and
Claire Long followed with a single.
Makayla Layton drove in the Tars' first run of the game, and Perantoni's hit loaded the bases. Theisen brought another run home to cut the deficit to three.
The Tars flipped the momentum in the third.
Cambrie Todd led off with a double, and
Alondra Maldonado-Ortiz drove her in with a single to right center. With traffic building, Layton singled through the left side to score another, and Perantoni delivered a clutch double to bring home two and give Rollins a 6-5 lead.
Saginaw Valley answered in the fourth to tie the game, but Rollins responded immediately. Todd worked a walk, Borkey was hit by a pitch, and Edevane's infield single loaded the bases. Carr came through with a two-RBI knock to push the Tars back in front.
The Cardinals continued to battle, using a solo home run and a run on a wild pitch to knot the game at 8-8.
In the sixth, Borkey reached safely and moved into scoring position before Zahradnik doubled to bring her home and reclaim the lead for good.
Crawford and the Rollins defense shut the door in the seventh, retiring the side to complete the 9-8 victory and secure the sweep.
Rollins improves to 9-5 on the season and returns to action Friday, March 6, at 4 p.m. to face Tiffin at the Eagle Classic on the campus of Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach.
