Late-Inning Heroics Lead Spartans In NCAA Championship Opener
The University of Tampa secured the game one victory with a four-run eighth inning.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
#19 Mercyhurst
|
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
|
#3 Tampa
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | X | 4 | 5 | 1 |
CARY, N.C. – The University of Tampa baseball team capitalized on a four-run eighth inning and secured the game one victory in the NCAA DII Championship Series.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: (#2) Tampa 4 (W: Jacinto Arredondo, 3-1), (#7) Mercyhurst 2 (L: Tyler Garbee, 8-3)
Records: (#2) No. 3 University of Tampa Spartans (42-14), (#7) No. 19 Mercyhurst University Lakers (34-15)
Location: USA Baseball National Training Complex || Cary, N.C.
All-time Series: The lone game of the series took place in 2015, as the Spartans defeated the Lakers 3-1 in Cary, N.C., en route to their seventh NCAA title.
Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
TOP 2ND: The Lakers tallied the first runs of the ballgame in game one as Matthew Schneider led off the inning with a single to right field. Josh Surowiec roped a fly-ball to deep right-center field and Danny Blair brought back the potential long-ball, however Surowiec walked into second for a double. Schneider scored on a groundout, and Surowiec scored from second on an error by Cole Perry. || MU led 2-0
BOT 8TH: To lead off the inning, Blair tacked on his second walk of the evening. In his first plate appearance of the game, Nick Derr wore a pitch to give Tampa their first threat of the ballgame. It was the first time UT had multiple runners on base. Danny Sirven blooped an RBI base-knock in left-center field to cut the deficit in half. After another hit-by-pitch to Steven Smith, the bases were loaded for Cole Perry. Perry laced his second triple of the season to clear the bases and give the Spartans a two-run lead. || UT led 4-2
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Keven Pimentel went seven innings for the ninth time this season; the senior struck out eight batters, walked one, and allowed two runs (one un-earned) on four hits.
- Arredondo came into relief and logged the final six outs; the junior right-hander recorded his second victory of the year.
- Sirven went 2-for-4, and the senior has recorded multiple hits in each of the last seven games.
- Blair reached base in all three plate appearances; earning two walks and a single in the fifth.
- Sirven, Perry and Blair were the only Spartans to log a base-hit.
- Mercyhurst's starting pitcher Tyler Garbee, a University of Pittsburgh transfer, notched 12 strikeouts; the Spartans have been struck out 12+ times in only three games this season.
OUTSIDE THE BOX:
- Pimental has tossed at least seven innings in his last six starts.
- Sirven, extended his hit-streak to ten games with his fourth inning single.
- The Spartans have won eight straight games, remaining undefeated in 2019 NCAA postseason play.
UP NEXT:
The University of Tampa will take the field on Tuesday evening as they face off against UC-San Diego at 7 p.m. in Cary, N.C. Follow the live stream, along with in-game statistics, on NCAA.com
TEXT ALERTS:
UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.
TAMPA SPARTANS MOBILE APP:
A free app is also available for free download through Apple and Google Play stores. Please search for Tampa Spartans Front Row.