No. 6 Screaming Eagles Stun No. 1 Spartans 4-3 to Open National Finals
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Southern Indiana
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
|
Tampa
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
CARY, N.C. - The No. 1 University of Tampa baseball team dropped the first game of the NCAA Division II Baseball Finals 4-3 at the hands of No. 6 University of Southern Indiana.
The Screaming Eagles advance to the winners bracket with a 46-12 record while the Spartans take their third loss and sit 51-3 heading into the loser's column of the tournament.
UT saw its 21-game win-streak snapped and will play with their backs against the wall for the first time all season.
Second baseman Orlando Rivera hit 2-for-5 with a home run and a pair of RBI while shortstop Giovanny Alfonzo picked up a pair of base hits to his credit.
Both teams scored an unearned run in the first as USI began the attack with a RBI single from Brent Weinzapfel. Spartan first baseman Sean O'Brien plated Rivera with a sacrifice fly to knot the score 1-1 after a complete inning.
Screaming Eagle outfielder Brad Wannemuehler broke the tie with a RBI infield single but Rivera would launch his first homer of the season an inning later to give Tampa a 3-2 lead after five innings.
USI outfielder Hamilton Carr evened the score again by a familiar RBI single. A clutch RBI double off the bat of Kyle Kempf proved to be the deciding factor for the game as the Screaming Eagles stunned the top-ranked Spartans in the ninth.
Sophomore David Heintz threw six complete innings, allowing three runs, two earned in the no decision. Closer Kevin McNorton (7-1) was credited with the loss, surrendering just two hits over three innings of work, but allowing the winning run to score in the ninth.
Starter Ben Wright (11-0) earned the win, tossing a complete-game while allowing three runs and scattering seven hits. The lone blemish for the right-hander was the two-run bomb from Rivera.
Tampa will continue the tournament and face the loser of the Lander v. Chico State matchup at 5 p.m. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start on Monday May 26th. Live stats as well as a live video webcast will be available at www.ncaa.com in addition to links featured on the www.tampaspartans.com page.
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