Top Ranked Spartans Begin Season 2-0
TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 1 ranked University of Tampa baseball team swept its opening day doubleheader against Bentley University by scores of 2-1 in the first game and a 5-2 win in the night cap.
The defending national champions begin their season 2-0 while the visiting Falcons dip to 0-2 to start their 2014 campaign.
Junior Nick Tindall hit the lone home run of the wood bat series, launching a two-run shot in the second game. The catcher finished the day with three hits and two RBI along with a run scored. Centerfielder Connor Obrochta roped a triple in the first game and followed up with three stolen bases in the second. The senior crossed the plate three times for Tampa.
The Spartans unleashed a 12-hit effort in the first game, despite a close 2-1 victory. Three batters notched a pair of hits at the top of the order in Obrochta, Orlando Rivera, and Tyler Ding.
Senior Obrochta began the 2014season with a triple to deep left field setting the table for Rivera to score the first run of the game. Tampa took an early 1-0 lead after the first frame.
Ding blasted a RBI double to left centerfield to tack on another key run. Junior Rivera scored from first on the play to give UT a 2-0 lead.
The Falcons plated a sixth inning run by Tom Nagy to pull within a run of the Spartans, however UT held on for the win in 2-1 fasion for the first half of the twinbill.
Sophomore Trey Oest tossed five innings of three-hit baseball, concluding his days work with four strikeouts to earn the win. Relief pitcher Kevin McNorton threw the final six outs to earn his first save of the season. The senior allowed one hit while striking out the final batter of the first game.
Starting pitcher Ryan O'Connor took the loss, hurling three complete innings, allowing seven hits and two earned runs.
Tindall and Stephen Dezzi combined for five hits in the second matchup, as the latter Dezzi swung 3-for-4.
Bentley thirdbaseman Nate Witkowski picked up a pair of hits for his team while Burton Deady and Bryan Rocha scored the only two runs of the contest for the Falcons.
Obrochta stole a pair of bases to begin the make way for a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ding to afford Tampa another1-0 lead in the first inning.
Bentley battled back for a pair of runs in during the top of the second as a trio of singles gave the Falcons their first lead of the day. Giovanny Alfonzo knotted the score with a RBI single in the home half of the second to put the game at a 2-2 tally.
The score remained knotted until Tindall blasted a two-run homer over the leftfield fence, giving the Spartans a 4-2 advantage in the fifth inning.
Secondbaseman Ding tacked on a late-inning insurance run and end the scoring for both squads with a 5-2 final score.
Freshman Jake Mielock threw four innings of relief to earn the win, as the righthander struck out six and surrendered a single hit. Fellow reliever Brett Jones entered in the ninth to earn the save and preserve the Spartan victory.
Falcons pitcher Connor Root was tabbed with the loss in his two innings of work.
Tampa will conclude the series against Bentley University on Sunday, with game time set for a 2 p.m. start. Live stats as well as a live video webcast will be available through www.tampaspartans.tv.
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