Tampa Prevails in NCAA Opener Versus Stillman
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Stillman
|
0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 1 |
|
Tampa
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 5 | 8 | 1 |
TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 2 University of Tampa (40-10) baseball team averted disaster with a 5-4 victory over Stillman College (30-15) in the opener of the NCAA Division II South Region Baseball Tournament.
The host Spartans got on the board with a run in each of the first two innings, before Stillman crossed a pair in the top of the third to tie the game at 2-2.
Tampa broke ahead again in the fifth, as a B.J. Zimmerman double scored Connor Obrochta and Jacob Tillotson, making it 4-2 in favor of UT. The Tigers would have one last rally remaining as they would tie the game for the second time, this time in the seventh inning.
UT would grab a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth, as Zach Gawrych drew a two out walk and followed with a timely steal of second base. The next hitter, Tyler Ding, followed with a groundout to the shortstop that resulted in a two-base throwing error that scored the eventual game-winning run in Gawrych.
Michael Danner and Tillotson each finished with a pair of hits for Tampa as Zimmerman drove in three of UT's five runs.
Freshman Brad Hencke earned the start and threw the first 5.1 innings, allowing three runs while striking out two in the no decision. Aaron Gerbasi pitched an inning of relief as Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Year Mike Adams earned the win to move to 7-0 on the year. Adams pitched the final 2.2 innings, allowing no hits to remain perfect on the season.
Tampa moves on to face the loser of Thursday night's matchup between Florida Tech and West Florida. The Spartans will play in Friday's 3 p.m., game. Live stats and a video webcast will be available through TampaSpartans.com.
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Click here for the official NCAA South Regional host web page