#5 Tampa Holds on to Defeat Saint Leo

Box score

SAINT LEO, Fla. - Despite a complete game effort from Saint Leo starter Ryan Clark, the #5 University of Tampa baseball team hung on to edge the Lions 3-2 in a Sunshine State Conference matchup, and record its fourth consecutive win. With the victory, the Spartans improve to 32-7-1 on the season and 11-5 in the SSC, while the Lions fall to 26-17 overall and 7-10 in SSC play.

Jose Jimenez led the Spartans with a 3-4 game and two RBI, including his team-leading fifth home run of the season and the 36th of his career at Tampa. Ryan Williams added two hits in three at-bats for the Spartans.

Kevin Ferguson got the starting nod for the Spartans and threw six innings of one run baseball to pick up his fifth win of the season. The senior right-handed pitcher allowed seven hits while walking one and striking out six in his 11th start of the season. Anthony Perez pitched the final two innings for Tampa, allowing one run on one hit, walking one and striking out two to earn his NCAA II-leading 14th save of the season.

The Lions got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning following a leadoff double by Kyle Hobbs. Two batters later, Saint Leo slugger T.J. Alonzo stroked an identical double to right center, scoring Hobbs.

That lead would hold up for three innings until the Spartan bats began to come around. Paul Cruz's single up the middle led things off in the fourth, and was followed immediately by an infield single by Jesus Barroso. Jimenez then stepped up to the plate and roped a double to right field on the first pitch of the at-bat, scoring Cruz from second base for his first RBI of the night.

Senior Nolan Brannon followed one batter later with an RBI groundout to second base to score Barroso, and give Brannon his 34th RBI on the year to tie Cruz for the team lead. The score remained 2-1 thanks to a stellar pitching duel between Clark and Spartan ace, Kevin Ferguson. Ferguson went six innings, surrendering seven hits and only one run, striking out six in the process.

The Spartans extended the lead to 3-1 on a solo home run over the right field wall by Jimenez in the eighth. With the solo shot, Jimenez moves within one of Ozzie Timmons for fourth all-time in Spartan history.

Perez came in to start the eighth in place of Rick Hudson, who tossed a scoreless seventh inning. Lions senior Yunior Tabares hit a 2-0 pitch over the left field fence to shorten the Spartan lead to one, but Perez struck out the next two batters, and finished with a scoreless ninth to seal the Spartan victory.

Tampa and Saint Leo will conclude the season series with an SSC doubleheader tomorrow. Game one is scheduled to begin at 1 pm with the second game of the twin bill following 30 minutes afterwards.