Spartans Sweep Saint Leo, Period
SAINT LEO, Fla. - The University of Tampa baseball team (22-5, 5-4 SSC) completed a three-game series sweep against Sunshine State Conference opponent Saint Leo University (18-10, 3-5 SSC) on Saturday.
The Spartans took the first game of a doubleheader by a nine-run margin. The first run of the contest came in the top of the first inning after senior Damon Elder sent a ball over the left field wall with no runners on. Elder's first homerun of the season gave the Spartans a lead that they would not lose for the remainder of the game.
Tampa tacked on five and four runs in the second and fifth innings, respectively, by a combination of seven hits, one walk, and one Lion error.
Saint Leo wouldn't get on the board until the seventh inning after a Lion homerun and a pair of hits let two SLU batters cross home plate.
A solo homerun by Heath Pritchard in the eighth put the Spartans up 11-2 on the Lions. The homerun marked Pritchard's third in his last three game appearances.
Senior southpaw Sean Bierman started on the mound for Tampa. In Bierman's six-inning appearance, he allowed only three hits, one walk, and struck out six Lions. The win marks Bierman's fourth.
Fellow senior Justin Leith pitched the remaining three innings of the contest. Leith struck out two SLU batters and allowed two earned runs. Leith also collected his first save of the season.
Unlike the first game, the Lions took the early lead in the second. The Lions scored one in the first inning and were up on the Spartans until the fifth. Senior Andrew Jones homered to right field scoring both himself and Anthony Caronia, who had doubled in the at-bat before.
The Lions managed to tie up the contest in the bottom of the same inning. The Spartans responded in the sixth after Caronia notched another double, this time down the left field line, which scored two Spartans.
Junior Jake Schrader added onto the Spartan lead in the seventh with a solo homerun to left field, his sixth of the season. The game ended with a 5-2 score, in favor of Tampa.
Junior righty Ben Brown started for Tampa. Brown went four complete innings and allowed two earned runs. Brown allowed only three hits while striking out and walking two Lions. Preston Packrall pitched three innings of relief and was awarded the win, his fifth.
The Spartans finished the conference doubleheader with 25 hits against the Lion pitching staff, including four homeruns, while Tampa's staff held the SLU offense to only 10.
The Spartans will return to their home field on Tuesday night to face Florida Memorial University at 5 p.m. Live stats and a webcast will be available through TampaSpartans.com.
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