Spartans Shutout Sailfish in Series Opener

Box score

TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 1 University of Tampa baseball team shutout Palm Beach Atlantic University by a five-run margin on Friday night. The win improves the Spartans to 32-7 on the season as the Sailfish drop to 16-20.

Tampa's first run came in the second inning after junior Jacob Schrader launched a solo homerun to left field. Schrader's homer marks his eighth of the season.

The Spartans added onto their lead in the third inning when sophomore Zach Gawrych was plated by a Damon Elder RBI. Gawrych had initially gotten on base with a double to leftcenter.

Three more Spartans crossed the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning. A double by Elder scored Raiko Alfonso, followed by a two-RBI single by Andrew Jones. Jones' hit scored both Elder and sophomore Connor Obrochta.

Tampa's 5-0 lead remained intact until the last out of the game. The Spartans recorded a total of seven hits in the contest. A pair of seniors, Elder and Jones, both recorded two RBI apiece while Tampa's pitching staff held the Sailfish to just four hits.

Junior southpaw Ben O'Shea and senior Evan Stobbs combined to shutout the Sailfish offense. O'Shea started and threw for seven complete innings, struck out seven Sailfish, and allowed only three hits.

Senior Evan Stobbs pitched the remaining two innings of the contest. Stobbs gave up only one hit and struck out five of the six outs recorded.

O'Shea was awarded the win, his sixth of the season.

The Spartans and Sailfish will return to the UT Baseball Field tomorrow for a doubleheader contest. The first game is set to begin at 11 a.m. Live stats and a video webcast will be available through TampaSpartans.tv.

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