No. 2 Tampa Falls to Valdosta State in Midweek Matchup
TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 2 University of Tampa baseball team (21-7) dropped a midweek regional contest to the visiting Valdosta State Blazers (17-10) by a 10-3 score, Wednesday night from UT Baseball Field.
The loss came at the hands of Valdosta pitcher Austin Stanley, who tossed two complete innings and allowed just one Spartans hit.
The game was slow offensively for the Spartans, as the Valdosta State pitching staff surrendered just four Tampa hits on the evening.
After a scoreless first inning, the visiting Valdosta State Blazers jumped on the board in the top of the second inning when the Blazers strung four hits together.
In the bottom of the third inning, however, Tampa's Nick Flair brought the Spartans to life with a three-run homer over the left-centerfield fence. It was junior Casey Scoggins who led off the inning with a one-out walk, which Giovanny Alfonzo followed up with a double to the right field corner to give Tampa two runners in scoring position. Flair then stepped up to the plate and sent a homerun ball over the fence to give the Spartans a 3-1 lead.
Neither team scored in the fourth or fifth inning, but the Blazers came out swinging in the top of the sixth inning to score three runs on four hits and take a 4-3 lead. Holding Tampa scoreless in the bottom of the inning, however, Valdosta State returned in the top of the seventh with a two-run homerun to go ahead, 6-3.
A scoreless eighth inning turned quickly into the ninth, and despite a three-run lead, the Blazers were not satisfied. Tacking on four runs on three hits and two walks, Valdosta State extended their lead to 10-3.
Freshman LHP Kasey Radke made his collegiate debut on the mound in the loss, tossing two complete innings and allowing just one run on four hits. The lefty tallied two strikeouts, marking the first of his career.
Junior Michael Calkins pitched the next 3.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and recording two strikeouts. He would eventually be awarded the loss.
Coming in to relieve Calkins was senior Taylor Brookes, who picked up a win during the Palm Beach Atlantic series this past weekend. The righty threw one and one-thirds innings in which he allowed two runs on three hits before junior righty Conner Andrews took the mound in the top of the eighth and Dylan Barrow and Logan LaPace combined to close out the ninth.
As a whole, the pitching staff allowed 14 Valdosta hits on the evening, striking out seven total batters and walking three.
The No. 2 Spartans will return to play on Friday when they open up a Sunshine State Conference weekend series against the visiting Eckerd College Tritons. First pitch for Friday night's single game is set for 6 p.m. from UT Baseball Field on the campus of the University of Tampa. Live stats will be available through Tampa.Statbroadcast.com.
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