Bats Stay Hot As Spartans Take Two From Eckerd
TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 24 University of Tampa Spartans baseball team (22-7, 3-0) swept the doubleheader against the visiting Tritons (13-12, 2-4). Tampa took game one 15-9 and held on to win game two 9-7.
Game one featured big offense from both sides. Eckerd put up three runs with two outs in the first frame, but Tampa countered with three of their own. Mike Schwartz stroked a two-run homer in the inning and Brett McKean hit a sac fly to tie the matchup.
Eckerd then added five in the second off starter John Wiedenbauer who was relieved by senior Danny Keefe with one out in the inning. Keefe (2-2) halted the Triton scoring, allowing no runs and just two hits over the next five and two-thirds innings en route to the win.
Tampa manufactured four singles in the bottom half of the second to cut the Eckerd lead to 8-6. It was in the third, however, that UT completed their comeback bid. After Tyler Cox singled and stole his team-leading ninth and tenth bags, Schwartz added another RBI sacrifice fly to pull Tampa within one. With Jesus Barroso on first with a walk, Jose Jimenez cranked a home run to right field to give the Spartans the lead.
Jimenez finished the game 4-4 with two home runs and five runs batted in while Schwartz finished 2-3 with three runs batted in. Cox, Barroso, Jared Simon, Casey Albanese, and Nick Nordgren also collected two hits each in the game.
Tampa opened game two with six runs in the first three innings to back spot starter Alex Koronis. Schwartz hit his second two-run shot of the afternoon in the first.
Koronis allowed no hits but issued five walks in three and a third. In the fourth, three straight walks loaded the bases for Eckerd before Max Kreuter came on in relief. On Kreuter's second pitch, Matt Heller popped a grand slam over the left field wall to cut the lead to 6-4.
After Eckerd brought the game within one, Simon drove in two runs with a double to center and McKean followed with a pinch-hit RBI single. Eckerd would add two runs in the top half of the seventh but it wasn't enough as Tampa prevailed 9-7.
Tampa will be back in action Tuesday evening at 5:00 PM against Nyack. UT will offer live stats through www.tampaspartans.com. Fans may also sign up for eScores through the website, a free service that sends text messages on Spartan athletic events.