Mixed Day For Tampa Against Shippensburg

Box score

TAMPA, Fla. - The #2 Tampa Spartans (20-4) split a double header with the Shippensburg Raiders (4-10) with the scores 14-1 and 5-9.

The Spartans were looking to start Saturday's first game a lot differently than their last. Tampa gave up six first run innings to Shippensburg on Friday and knew that performances like that don't live up to UT standards.

Johnny Williams started on the mound for the Spartans in game one and retired the first two batters of the game before giving up a seeing-eye base hit to Justin Garber. Garber stole second on the next pitch and found himself in scoring position. Scott Goss hit a shot that was stopped by the diving Jose Jimenez at first and tossed to Williams, likely saving a run from crossing the plate.

Tampa scored two first inning runs without recording a hit and chased Shippensburg starter, Nate Jones before he recorded an out. Jimenez picked up an RBI on a hit by pitch and Craig Corrado drew a bases loaded walk. However, Tampa had the bases loaded with no out before a line out and an inning ending double play, ending the possibility of a more damaging inning.

Paul Cruz set the table in the second when he hit a one-put double off the base of the wall in left center. After Junior Mejia reached on an infield single, Troy Ferguson drove in Ferguson on a base hit through the right side. T. Ferguson drew an errant throw from the pitcher on a pick-off attempt, allowing Mejia to score easily from third. The Spartans doubled their lead to 4-0.

T. Ferguson crushed his sixth homerun of the year in the bottom of the fourth with a mammoth shot that just stayed inside the foul pole in right. The solo-shot gave Tampa a 5-0 lead.

Cruz belted his third homerun of the season deep to right center in the fifth. The solo shot was his second multi-base hit of the day. Ryan Kennedy drove in Mejia with his base hit to center, extending Tampa's lead to 7-0.

Tampa scored two more runs in the sixth as Corrado crossed the plate on a fielding error by the right fielder and was followed by Roberto Mena on Cruz's second RBI hit in as many innings.

Corrado hit Tampa's third solo-homerun of the day in the seventh. The dead-center blast was his seventh of the season.

Tampa didn't let up in their last at-bats of the game as they scored four more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Brenton Cianci had the big hit in the inning, a two-run line drive double over the head of the right fielder. Brett McKean also drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. Jimenez drove in the last run with a bloop double to left.

Goss ended Tampa's bid for a shutout in the top of the ninth with a solo-homerun to right off Scott Leffler.
J. Williams put together his finest performance of the season with a seven inning outing where he scattered seven hits and allowed no runs.

Kennedy drove in Tampa's first run of game two in the first with a double down the left field line, scoring T. Ferguson from first base.

Jamie Mengle led off the second inning with a triple to center and scored on the next pitch, a ground out off the bat of Jared Boger, tying the game at one.

The Raiders put together five runs on six hits of Tampa starter Kevin Ferguson in the third inning. K. Ferguson may have not been hit hard but the Shippensburg hitters found holes in the defense for the big inning.

The Spartans battled back in their half of the third on their way to scoring three runs. Kennedy picked up two RBI with a double to right field, he later stole third but a throwing error by the catcher allowed him to score and close the Raiders lead to 6-4.

Shippensburg scored their seventh run of the game in the top of the fourth on Garber's RBI single. Craig Benner inherited only one out and loaded bases when he entered and needed only two pitches to induce a foul out and a ground out to end the inning.

The Raiders extended their lead to 9-4 with two runs in the sixth.

Mejia was able to score in the bottom of the seventh but it wasn't enough as Tampa fell 9-5.

K. Ferguson fell to 3-2 on the season. Benner tossed 3.2 innings in relief only allowing two runs.

Tampa faces Division I Harvard on Monday starting at 1:00 pm at The University of Tampa Baseball Stadium.