ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The red-hot Eckerd College baseball team left Rollins College still searching for its first Sunshine State Conference win, ultimately sweeping a Saturday doubleheader in convincing fashion at the Turley Athletic Complex, 10-2 and 4-1.
The Tritons (19-6, 7-2 SSC) also picked up a win in the first game of the series last night, 9-3, and have now won seven straight games, while the Tars (12-14, 0-9 SSC) had their skid extend to six consecutive losses.
Eckerd compiled its first SSC three-game series sweep in over a decade when the Tritons brought down Barry University in three straight games in 2002. The Tritons also grabbed a series from the Tars for the first time since 2011, while also winning two of three from Rollins in 2008 and 2003.
It was the first time that Eckerd swept Rollins in a long time and the Tritons moved up into a tie for second in the updated league standings with nationally-ranked Lynn University.
After taking down No. 25 (NCBWA) Nova Southeastern, No. 6 (CBN) Florida Tech and now Rollins to begin the SSC schedule, the Tritons have won three league series in a single season for the first time since the spring of 2003 (Saint Leo, Florida Tech, Rollins, Barry).
In his 24th season, head coach
Bill Mathews also earned career wins No. 495 and 496, moving that much closer to the elite and rare 500-win career milestone. Among all active coaches at the NCAA Division II level, he would become the 41st coach all-time to reach 500 career wins.
Game 1 - Eckerd 10, Rollins 2
Eckerd starter
Zach Hoppe and reliever
Nick Hill got the job done in game one on the mound while the Tritons' offense went to work in a 14-hit attack.
Sophomore
Carter Cashman and seniors
Mike Vavasis and
Lincoln Dunham, helped key a six-run third inning with RBI doubles, and junior
Mike Abraham added a single to account for the Tritons' early offensive eruption.
Sophomore
Jake O'Rourke ripped an RBI single in the fourth inning to make it a 7-0 Eckerd lead.
Eckerd tabbed two more runs in the seventh on respective RBI from O'Rourke and Andrews as RC scratched out one more run the rest of the way.
Vavasis launched his fourth homer of the season over the fence in left-center in the bottom of the eighth on the first pitch of the inning.
Hoppe improved to 2-2 on the year and allowed just one run on five hits and one walk over his six innings. Hill earned his first save of the season, tossing three innings, while allowing just one run on four hits.
Cashman, Abraham, Vavasis, senior
Chris Hanson and O'Rourke, each tabbed two hits in the win, with Cashman and Vavasis also adding three RBI apiece.
Game 2 - Eckerd 4, Rollins 1
The Tritons rallied down from giving up an early run before riding the arm of workhorse starting pitcher
Jimmy Gutowski.
It took just the first inning for Gutowski to get warmed up as he would go on to toss six straight scoreless innings to claim his seventh straight winning decision. After the first inning, he allowed just three hits and three walks while striking out four.
Gutowski is currently tied for second place in the Sunshine State Conference in wins.
Eckerd would claim the lead in the bottom half of the first inning, 2-1, thanks to a double from Hanson ripped down the right-field line and a clutch two-out single from Abraham up the middle.
The Tritons added two more insurance runs in the fifth inning on an RBI single from Abraham and a wild pitch that would score Dunham. Abraham and Andrews both collected two hits with Abraham adding two RBI and Andrews scoring one run.
UP NEXT: Eckerd will remain at home and face Flagler College next Wednesday in a nine-inning game scheduled for a 12 p.m. start.
Live stats and video will be available on
www.EckerdTritons.com.
