Spartans Split Pair to Advance to Regional Finals

LAKELAND, Fla. - The University of Tampa baseball team suffered an early setback at the NCAA South Regional, but rebounded with a victory to advance to the regional finals against the host Mocs.

Game One Final: No. 1 Florida Southern Moccasins 4, No. 2 Tampa Spartans 2
Game Two Final: No. 2 Tampa Spartans 7, No. 6 Mississippi College Choctaws 1
Records: Tampa (42-10), Florida Southern (41-9-1) Mississippi College (36-17)
Location: Henley Field | Lakeland, Fla.
All-time Series: Florida Southern leads the all-time series by a record of 102-99. Tuesday's game was the first-ever meeting between UT and Mississippi College.
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HOW IT HAPPENED (TAMPA VS. FLORIDA SOUTHERN):

• Florida Southern rallied for a pair of first-inning runs on a Hayden Marze single.
• The Spartans cut the lead in half on a solo home run by Nick DeTringo in the third inning.
• A blast off the bat of Harrison Bragg tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth.
• The Mocs capitalized on a Spartan error in the fifth inning to score a pair of unearned runs, making the score 4-2.
• UT brought the time-run to the plate in the ninth, and was also robbed of a home run as DeTringo's leadoff fly was snagged by Christian Maglich as he climbed the left-field fence and grabbed the ball well over the wall.

INSIDE THE STATS (TAMPA VS. FLORIDA SOUTHERN): 

• DeTringo, Bragg and Darren Miller accounted for the lone Spartan hits.
• Florida Southern closer J.T. Hintzen made the start and threw a three-hitter with four strikeouts.
• Keven Pimentel started for the first time since April 28 as the righty went 4.2 innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs with two strikeouts. He is now 9-2 on the season.
• Mark Moclair threw 1.1 scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts while giving up zero hits.
• Cole Aker pitched the final 2.0 frames, finishing with a strikeout while allowing just one hit.

HOW IT HAPPENED (TAMPA VS. MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE):

• The game remained scoreless until Miller doubled home Stephen Smith in the top of the sixth to give Tampa the 1-0 lead. Smith led off the inning with a bunt single and stole second before scoring on the double.
• Tampa's bats woke up in the seventh as they scored six runs. Freshman Drew Ehrhard started the scoring with a two-run bases loaded single. Danny Sirven also notched a two-run single as the other runs scored on a pair of errors by the Choctaws.

INSIDE THE STATS (TAMPA VS. MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE):

• Sirven turned in a two-hit effort as he drove in four runs.
• Ehrhard also notched two hits as the freshman second baseman scored a run and drove in two.
• Smith scored a pair of runs and also connected on two hits.
• Making his second start of the season, senior lefty Christian Calleja threw 4.1 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit while striking out two.
• Cheyne Bickel entered when Calleja left with an apparent hamstring injury. He would toss 1.2 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts while allowing one hit.
• Tyler Beck also tossed 2.0 scoreless innings as he struck out three while giving up no hits.
• Kasey Radke pitched the ninth inning, tallying a strikeout.

UP NEXT:
Tampa will meet host and top-seed Florida Southern College on Wednesday at noon at Henley Field. The Mocs need one victory to win the regional while the Spartans need two wins for another trip to the NCAA Division II Championship Series in Cary, N.C.

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