Spartans Demolish Mercyhurst, Advance to NCAA DII National Championship

CARY, N.C. – The University of Tampa baseball team overpowered the seventh seed, No. 19 Mercyhurst, with ten runs by the third inning. The Spartans advance to the NCAA DII National Championship, seeking their eighth national title in program history. UT needs only one win against the winner of Colorado Mesa/Central Missouri to secure the 2019 National Championship.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: (#2) Tampa 12 (W: Sammy Peralta, 2-2), (#7) Mercyhurst 0 (L: Chad Cwik, 3-2)

Records: (#2) No. 3 University of Tampa Spartans (44-14), (#7) No. 19 Mercyhurst University Lakers (36-16)

Location: USA Baseball National Training Complex || Cary, N.C.

All-time Series: In game one of the NCAA DII Championship Series, Tampa defeated Mercyhurst by a final score of 4-2. Cole Perry laced a game-winning three-run triple to secure the victory for UT. The first 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 1ST: Mercyhurst recorded the first two outs to begin the game, but the Spartans brought six more batters to the plate. Danny Sirven reached on an error and Cole Perry was hit by a pitch to give UT a two-out threat. With two runners on, Nick Derr cleared the bases with a two-run triple to right-center-field. With Derr standing on third, Sam Freitas logged a base-knock up the middle to extend the Spartans lead. || UT led 3-0

TOP 2ND: Danny Blair led off the inning with a base-hit which forced Mercyhurst to use their bullpen and bring in Sunday's starter, Tyler Garbee. With two runners on for Sirven, the Spartans' back-stop cleared the bases with a "little league home run". Sirven's blast off the right-field wall went down as a triple and he scored on a throwing error by the Lakers' defense. || UT led 6-0

TOP 3RD: The Spartans continued the offensive explosion with back-to-back singles from Stevie Mangrum and Nick DeTringo. Both runners advanced into scoring position on a passed ball, and Blair recorded his third double of the year to increase the Spartans lead. With an eight-run lead, Yorvis Torrealba and Drew Ehrhard joined the hit-parade with consecutive RBI singles. || UT led 10-0

TOP 6TH: Mangrum walked to lead-off the inning and Torrealba, ABCA/D2CCA All-American, drove a 3-0 pitch down the left-field line for an RBI double.  || UT led 11-0

TOP 8TH: The Spartans' eight-hitter, DeTringo, continued his recent tear with a solo homer onto the left-field berm area. It was the seventh long-ball of the year for the senior shortstop. || UT led 12-0

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Peralta, the Chicago White Sox 18th-round selection, made his first start of the year. The junior struck out nine batters in five innings, while he gave up three hits and no free passes. 
• Through three innings, Peralta recorded six strikeouts. After five innings of work, he faced 18 batters and struck out nine. The left-hander entered the contest with a 15.81 strikeout-per-nine ratio.
• Tampa cycled in 19 different players during the ballgame, using only four pitchers. 11 different Spartans recorded a base-hit as Perry was the only starter without a hit. However, the senior first-basemen reached twice via HBP. 
• In back-to-back games, the bottom of the order comes through for the Spartans; the eight and nine-hitters, DeTringo and Blair, went 5-for-10 at the plate with two extra-base hits, three RBI, and four runs scored.
• Blair led the team with three hits in five at-bats, the senior transfer drove in two runs and scored twice. 
• Four different Spartans drove in multiple runs (Torrealba, Sirven, Derr and Blair).
• Mangrum reached in all four plate appearances, going 1-for-1 with three walks. 

OUTSIDE THE BOX:

• The Spartans have won ten straight games, which ties their longest streak this season. UT remains undefeated in 2019 NCAA postseason play. 
• Dating back to 2015, Tampa has won seven straight games in Cary, N.C. 

UP NEXT:

The University of Tampa will play for the NCAA DII National Championship on Saturday, June 8; the time and opponent is TBD. 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.