Rollins stumbles in Division II baseball semifinals but will get another shot at Cal-San Bernardino
After dominating Cal-San Bernardino 7-1 in the opening round of the NCAA Division II tournament, Rollins likely expected no less in the semifinals rematch.
But the Coyotes bounced back, breaking away in the fifth inning Thursday to flip the script.
No. 4 seed Rollins (41-18) fell 16-11 to the No. 5 Cal-San Bernardino (46-18) at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C.
The Tars will face the Coyotes again in Game 2 Friday at 1:30 p.m.
Cal-San Bernardino defeated the No. 1 Millersville (Pa.) 6-5 on Wednesday in the elimination bracket to earn its spot in Thursday’s game.
Daryl Ruiz’s single to right field brought Jason Shedlock across home plate, and Giovanni Del Negro’s flyball to right field allowed DeShawn Johnson to run home, giving the Coyotes a 2-0 lead by the second inning.
The Tars responded immediately with Parker Smith’s home run to left field. The score was 2-2 after Cameron Meehan’s single to left field brought Ryan Coleman home.
Cal-San Bernardino held a 5-4 lead by the end of the fourth, but it ran away in the fifth with Danny Garcia’s 3-run shot to right field and Jake Borst’s single, allowing Takuto Kataoka to slide in.
The Coyotes maintained their offensive firepower, scoring 4 more runs in the sixth and 3 in the seventh to take a 16-6 lead.
After a scoreless eighth inning, the Tars brought energy to the ninth. Drew Howard scored on Kency Mocombe’s single to shortstop, and Spencer Sarringar and Adam Torres each had 2-run singles to left field.
The rally, however, could not change the tide.
The Tars are familiar with semifinal stumbles. They lost to Point Loma (San Diego) 2-0 last season and failed to advance. They need a win Friday to make their championship series debut.
