Spartan Winning Streak Snapped by Sharks

TAMPA, Fla. - The top-ranked University of Tampa (20-2, 6-1 SSC) baseball team saw its 12-game winning streak come to an end in a 4-1 loss to Nova Southern University (13-10, 4-3) in a Sunshine State Conference game at the UT Baseball Field.

The Sharks were positioned for a big first inning, loading the bases with no outs. UT reliever Kevin Martin came in to limit the damage to just one run as the senior left had a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to escape the jam.

Nova would add a pair of runs in the fourth and another in the sixth to extend its lead to 4-0. UT would score its lone run in the seventh inning as it capitalized on three NSU errors in the inning.
Nova Southeastern starting pitcher Alex Mateo earned the win, improving to 3-3 on the season. The Shark ace threw 8.1 innings, allowing just four hits and no earned runs.

Michael Calkins (1-1) was the pitcher of record for UT. Kevin Martin provided 6.0 innings of relief, giving up just five hits and two earned runs. Cody Martin also added 3.0 hitless innings as he struck out five.

At the plate, J.D. Osborne accounted for two of UT's hits.

The Spartans and Sharks will complete the series on Saturday, with a doubleheader that is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Live stats and a video broadcast will be available through TampaSpartans.com.

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