WINTER PARK, Fla. – Rollins scored the only run of the game in the third inning and it held up as No. 10 UWF was unable to get the timely hit it needed in a 1-0 loss at Alfond Stadium on Friday.
UWF (2-2) had four hits and stranded seven runners, including three in scoring position.
Sophomore
Trent Jeffcoat had a pair of hits and extended his hitting streak to four games.
Starter
Josh Pahlad (0-2) went 5.1 innings and allowed one run on four hits, while striking out five. Sophomore
Jacob Estes worked the final 2.2 for the Argos and didn't allow a hit with two walks.
Rollins' Jaylyn Whitehead (1-0) also worked into the sixth inning, as five players reached on two hits, two walks and a fielding error. But the all-region selection struck out five and only allowed one runner to gets past first base.
"The pitching was the story tonight," UWF head coach
Mike Jeffcoat said. "Their guys kept us off balance all night and we didn't have a lot of great at-bats. (Josh) Pahlad gave us a good five-plus and (Jacob) Estes held them the rest of the way to give us a chance in the ninth.
"We had our opportunity (in the ninth) but it just wasn't our night. We need to bounce back in game two like last weekend."
The Tars got their run in the third when Andres Antonini singled and advanced to third on a sacrifice and a groundout to second. He scored on Chase Achuff's base hit into center field.
That was the only scoring as Achuff moved from shortstop to the mound in the ninth as he followed two other relievers and earned his first save with a scoreless final inning.
Although the ninth afforded UWF its best scoring opportunity. With one out, freshman
Jadon Fryman reached on a fielding error and advanced to second when sophomore
Mark Townsend singled up the middle. Achuff then got a groundout that moved Fryman to third and a strikeout to end the Argo threat.
In addition to Jeffcoat's hits and Townsend's single, senior
Alden Davis reached three times with a single and two walks. Sophomore
Preston Moore also got on base multiple times with an error in the fifth and a walk in the seventh.
Antonini and Achuff each had two hits for Rollins (2-2), who stranded six runners and snapped a 2-game losing skid.
The teams will meet again on Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern time for the second game of the 3-game series.
