Spartans Hit Lions For Victory in Series Opener

Box score

ST. LEO, Fla. - The No. 4 University of Tampa (20-5, 3-4 SSC) baseball team earned an 8-4 win over Sunshine State Conference opponent Saint Leo University (17-9, 3-4 SSC) on Friday.

A scoreless game through three innings, designated hitter Heath Pritchard put the Spartans on top in the top of the fourth on a two-run home run that also scored Eric Grabe.

The Lions answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth, but Tampa would break open the game with a four-run fifth inning. A Grabe single drove in two Spartans as Andrew Jones also had an RBI double in the fifth.

Saint Leo gave UT a brief scare as it cut the lead to 6-4 with a two-run eighth, but the Spartans were able to solidify the victory with a pair of their own in the top of the ninth.

Jones, Grabe and Connor Obrochta each finished with a pair of hits for Tampa.

Tampa ace Ben O'Shea threw 7.1 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. O'Shea also finished with five strikeouts and no walks to move to 3-1 on the season. Evan Stobbs pitched the final 1.1 innings to record his sixth save of the year.

Tampa and Saint Leo will conclude the three-game set on Saturday with a 1 p.m., doubleheader. Live stats will be available through TampaSpartans.com.

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