Spartans Sweep Series Against Falcons

Box score

TAMPA, Fla. - The No.1 ranked University of Tampa baseball team completed the sweep of Bentley University behind a 6-1 finale. The Spartans begin their 2014 campaign with a pristine 3-0 record while the Falcons start their season in a 0-3 hole.

Outfielder Michael Danner kickstarted the Spartans offense in the second inning after he blasted a solo homerun to deep right field. Danner's homerun is his first of the year, and marks the second of the year for the Tampa squad.

The Spartans offense exploded in the seventh after a pair of doubles from Nick Tindall and Danner to ignite the UT attack. Pinch hitters Chris Pagliarulo and Domenic Millan followed with a pair of singles to score Giovanny Alfonzo and Jacob Tillotson, giving Tampa the 6-0 lead.

Bentley threatened in the eighth, picking up a run and loading the bases but reliever Marcus Crescentini came in and whiffed two batters to preserve a 6-1 lead for Tampa. Crescentini picked up his first save of the season after striking out all five batters he faced to close the door on a 6-1 win.

Starting pitcher David Heintz threw five scoreless innings to earn the win, striking out three batters and surrendering a pair of hits. Falcons starter David Long was tabbed with the loss, despite only allowing a single run in his four innings of work.

Tampa will head north to face Mount Olive College on Feb. 7th, gametime set for an 11 a.m. start. Live stats will be available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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