Spartans Take Afternoon Victory in SSC Opener

TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 5 University of Tampa baseball team welcomed Eckerd College for a Sunshine State Conference series opener, defeating the Tars 12-2 behind the heroics of J.D. Urso.

Final Score: No. 5 University of Tampa Spartans 12, Eckerd College Tritons 2 

Records: Tampa (28-7, 17-2 SSC), Eckerd (16-16, 5-11 SSC)

Location: UT Baseball Field || Tampa, Fla.

All-Time Series: Tampa leads the all-time series 121-43, and has now taken four of the last five over the Tritons.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Spartans struck first with a two-out rally in the bottom of the first inning. Urso clubbed a double, and would come around to score on an E.J. Cumbo single. | 1-0 Spartans
• Urso registered his second double of the game in the third inning, scoring Danny Gutcher against his former team. Cumbo would follow with a 2-run triple to double the UT lead. | 4-0 Spartans
• A two-run home run from Eckerd in the fourth inning would account for the lone Triton runs of the contest. | 4-2 Spartans
• Jordan Lala got one of the runs back in the bottom of the fourth on a single that crossed Jamarcus Lyons. | 5-2 Spartans
• Lyons had a single in the fifth, allowing Urso to score. | 6-2 Spartans
• A four-run sixth inning would add to the UT lead, with runs scoring on a Drew Ehrhard and Lyons single, and a pair of sacrifice flies off the bats of Anthony Nunez and Santiago Garavito. | 10-2 Spartans
• Urso put a stamp on his spectacular day with a two-run home run in the seventh that nearly left the birdcage. Lala would also score on the blast. | 12-2 Spartans 

 INSIDE THE STATS:

• Michael Paul returned to the mound for the Spartans, moving to 4-2 on the season. He went 5.0 innings , striking out six Triton hitters and allowing just two runs.
• UT called on its bullpen to finish the game, with Eric Linder and Beckett White combining to shutout Eckerd over the final 4.0 innings. Linder was perfect in 3.0 frames with one strikeout, while White tossed a scoreless ninth with two punchouts.
• Urso accounted for eight of the 12 Spartan runs as he would finish 4-4 on the day with three RBI and five runs scored. He also drew a walk while adding a pair of doubles and a home run to push his average over .400 on the season.
• Cumbo also added three hits while driving in three runs and scoring another.
• Lala and Lyons each had three hits, while Ehrhard had two.
• This is the fourth straight win for the Spartans.
• UT remains a game ahead of Rollins in the SSC standings.

UP NEXT: The Spartans and Tritons will finish the series with a Saturday doubleheader, which starts at 1 p.m.