#3 Tampa Splits Doubleheader with Rollins to Win Series

Box score

WINTER PARK, Fla. - Following a resounding 16-2 victory on Friday night in the series opener against Rollins College, the third-ranked University of Tampa baseball team split a doubleheader with the Tars, winning the first game 14-7 in 11 innings and falling to the Tars 8-6 in game two. With the series split, the Spartans move to 36-8-1 overall this season and hold a 15-6 mark in the Sunshine State Conference to retain possession of first place, while Rollins moves to 28-21-1 overall and 8-12 in SSC play.

Nolan Brannon, Jesus Barroso, and Steven Broschofsky each had four hits in the doubleheader to lead the Spartans, as Brannon and Broschofsky each drove in three runs on the day. Broschofsky and Paul Cruz led the way with two doubles apiece, while Ryan Williams had a team-high four RBI in the twin bill. Jose Jimenez followed his career night on Friday with a total of three runs scored and a career-high five walks in game one.

Josh Bowman got the starting nod in game one and threw the first five and one-third innings, allowing four runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out four. Anthony Perez pitched the final four innings to pick up his third win of the season, allowing no runs on one hit while walking four and striking out one. Scott Chapman made his 11th start of the season and threw the first three and one-third innings before handing the ball over to reliever Danny Keefe, allowing eight runs -- three earned -- on eight hits, striking out one and walking none.

The Spartans got on the board first in game one with two runs in the first inning, as Broschofsky lined a two-run double down the left field line to score Cruz and Jimenez and put the Spartans up 2-0. Rollins cut the lead in half with one run in the second inning on a solo home run by Corey Whiting to lead off the inning.

With Tampa holding a slim 2-1 lead and one out in the top of the fifth, Broschofsky stepped up to the plate following a single by Barroso and a walk by Jimenez. After taking a pair of balls to run the count to 2-0, the senior transfer from Louisiana State hit a line drive down the left field line for his second double of the day, this one a one-run base knock that scored Barroso from second to extend the lead to 3-1. Brannon then followed next with a single through the right side to score Jimenez from third and put the Spartans up 4-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning.

After the Tars took the lead with a pair of three-run innings in the fifth and seventh, the Spartans came to bat in the top of the eighth trailing 7-4 with six outs left. Following a Tars error and a pinch-hit double by Jared Simon that put runners on second and third with no outs, Williams notched his second RBI of the day with a groundout that scored pinch-runner Maines from third. Pinch-hitter Brett McKean then came up and lined the first pitch he saw through the right side to score Simon and cut the lead to 7-6 with one out. Barroso followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 7-7 heading into the bottom of the eighth.

The teams remained deadlocked at 7-7 into extra innings when the Spartan offense exploded for seven runs in the 11 th inning to take a 14-7, capped by a two-run double by Brannon and a two-run single by Brenton Cianci that gave Tampa an 11-7 lead with no outs. Williams and Jimenez added RBI singles later in the inning to extend the Spartan advantage to 14-7.

Game two began in much the same way as the first as Tampa opened the scoring in the first inning on a single to right center by Barroso that scored Junior Mejia to give the Spartans an early 1-0 advantage. The Tars responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 4-1 lead after a three-run home run by Whiting, his second long ball of the day.

Tampa came back to tie the game at 4-4 with a three-run inning of its own in the top of the second, highlighted by a two-run double by Cruz to left center that scored the tying runs in the persons of Mejia and Williams. Rollins reclaimed and extended the lead with two runs in the second, one in the third, and one in the fourth to take a 8-4 lead into the fifth inning against the Spartans.

The Spartans came to bat in the fifth trailing the Tars 8-4, and after a pair of singles by Broschofsky and Brannon, and a walk by pinch-hitter Stephen Merino, Williams stepped in and drove a 1-0 pitch up the middle for a two-run single to cut the lead to 8-6. Rollins then got out of the jam by turning an inning-ending double play, and proceeded to retire six of the last seven Spartan hitters to salvage an 8-6 win in the series finale.

Tampa returns to the field next Friday as it will host Barry University in the first game of a three-game SSC series to conclude the regular season. First pitch is scheduled for 7 pm.