WINTER PARK, Fla. (April 3, 2026) - The Rollins baseball team had a very good Friday, coming back to win both games of the doubleheader against Florida Tech. The Tars now stand at 23-9, 14-4 SSC while the Panthers drop to 15-19, 6-12 SSC.
Game One
Rollins 4, Florida Tech 2
Florida Tech jumped out to an early lead in their first at bat, scoring on a wild pitch. However, in the second inning,
Connor O'Sullivan ripped a double down the right field line, stole third, and then scored on a single from
Jimmy Thies.
The Panthers regained the lead in the fourth on a solo home run from Marcello Cortale. They also threatened in the sixth with the bases loaded, but
Coby Vallee was able to induce a 4-6-3 double play to escape unscathed. In the bottom half, the Tars offense rewarded their pitcher. With two outs and two on, O'Sullvan ripped an absolute missile back at the pitcher. It bounced off his leg so hard that it rolled halfway into right field, allowing
Collin Hughes to come around and score. Two batters later,
Jayden Brown drew a bases loaded walk to put Rollins up 3-2.
Rollins added one more run in the eighth when Brown laced a triple off the wall in right center that plated
Jimmy Thies. Vallee then used another double play, as well as a strike out of the last batter, to secure the 4-2 win.
Vallee took the win with four innings of shutout ball, scattering a pair of hits and striking out three.
Brody Meyers was solid in his start, lasting five innings with six hits, two earned runs and three strikeouts as well. O'Sullivan had three hits, two steals, a run scored, and an RBI. Brown drove in two of the four runs.
Game Two
Rollins 5, Florida Tech 2
The Panthers once again jumped out to the early lead thanks to a solo home run from Gabe Roque in the second. Rollins had a runner at third in the bottom half, but could not convert. In the fourth, they once again looked poised to get on the board, but a wild play ended the inning. The Panther's pitcher was throwing to
Matthew Mateo in the batter's box, and the ball was hit. It dropped in right field, allowing two runs to score, but they were nullified by the umpire calling a pitch clock violation on Mateo, striking him out.
Florida Tech took advantage, adding another run on a single in the fifth to make the score 2-0.
JR Struk entered the game in relief, firing perfect frames in the sixth and seventh innings. In the bottom of the seventh, the offense finally got going for the Tars. Thies led off with a single, and moved to third when Brown smoked a double to right. Mateo was up next, and struck out swinging, but the ball got away from the catcher, allowing Mateo to reach first and Thies to score.
AJ Barrios was called on to pinch hit, and his groundout brought Brown in tie the game.
In the eighth, Struk worked around a single and a wild pitch, striking out the hard-hitting Cortale to end the inning. Again, the Tars had the support needed for their pitcher. After
Collin Hughes walked,
Michael Furry absolutely obliterated a 1-2 pitch well over the left field fence, sending the home crowd into a frenzy while giving the Tars a 4-2 lead. O'Sullivan followed that with a single, moved to third on two balks, and scored on a sac fly from Brown to make the final of 5-2.
Struk ended the game in the ninth to earn the well-deserved win in relief. His final line read four innings, one hit, no runs, one walk, and four strikeouts. Furry and Thies each had two hits, none bigger than Furry's two-run shot.
Next up for the Tars is a weekend trip to Miami Shores as they take on Barry on Friday, April 10. First pitch is scheduled for 6 pm.
