Tampa Takes Advantage of Sloppy Play by Rollins

Box score

TAMPA, Fla. - The second-ranked University of Tampa baseball team combined their hitting sticks with a poor Rollins College defensive effort to defeat the Tars by a score of 9-2. The Spartans, who have already clinched the Sunshine State Conference title, improve to 40-9 on the season and 18-4 in league play. Rollins falls to 25-26 and 9-13. The victory also marks the fifth consecutive season that the Spartans have won 40-plus games.

In a game where Rollins committed four errors, UT got on the board first on a second inning throwing error that scored Roberto Mena. In the third inning, Tampa added a pair of runs beginning with an RBI single by Mena that scored Ryan Kennedy. The second run of the inning then crossed on another throwing error that allowed Craig Corrado to score.

Junior Mejia, who led off the fourth inning with a single, scored the fourth run of the game for UT on a double down the leftfield line by Corrado. The fifth inning proved to be another productive inning for the Spartans as it took a 7-0 lead following three runs in the inning. A Chris Rosenbaum double crossed two as he then scored on an RBI by Mejia.

Kevin Ferguson got the start for the Spartans and improved his record to 10-2 on the season with the victory. The win also made Ferguson the first Spartan of 2007 to win 10 games. Ferguson, who pitched five innings, allowed no runs while striking out five and walking none. He allowed six hits.

Rollins scored their first two runs of the game on a controversial home run that was initially ruled a double in the sixth inning. Following a meeting between the umpires and Rollins head coach John Sjogren, a two run home run was granted to Anthony Soto.

Mena, the reigning Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week, continued his tear with a line drive solo home run to leftfield in the sixth inning. After a scoreless seventh for UT, Rosenbaum singled home Charlie Raley for the lone Spartan run of the eighth inning.

Anthony Perez, who relieved Ferguson, pitched the final four innings of the game for the Spartans. Perez allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts on the evening. He also earned his second save of the season.

The two teams will conclude the three-game stand with a Sunday afternoon doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. It will also mark Senior Day as UT will honors its 10 seniors playing their final regular season home game in a ceremony between games.