Spartans Split Regular Season Finale With Tars

WINTER PARK, Fla. -  The second-ranked University of Tampa baseball team concluded its 2016 regular season with a doubleheader split with the Rollins College Tars. UT took game one by a final of 8-4 while RC won game two 5-3. The Spartans now sit at 41-8 and finished Sunshine State Conference play at 20-4. Rollins concludes its season with a 24-25 overall record and 8-16 in SSC play.

In game one, the Spartans did all of their scoring in the third and fourth innings to win the ball game 8-4.

In the third inning, UT would push across five runs to jump out to an early 5-0 lead. The bottom three batters of the lineup would get things started for Tampa, as Cody deNoyelles singled and was followed by a double by Ricky Negron. Mitchell Preston then followed with the games first RBI, when he singled to right field to bring in deNoyelles. After Negron scored on a wild pitch and Adrian Chacon walked, J.D. Osborne drove in the third run of the inning with a single through the left side. Vin Cosenzo would then follow up with another single to plate Chacon and give UT a 4-0 lead. Osborne scored the fifth and final run of the inning, as he came around to score on a Matt Piatt base hit.

The Spartans would add three more runs in the fourth inning to go up 8-0 on the Tars. Preston opened up the inning with an opposite field home run for his second of the season. Following the home run, Chacon walked, and Osborne singled setting up runners for Cosenzo. Following a wild pitch, Cosenzo would double down the right field line to bring the two runners. These would be the final runs the Spartans would score in the contest. 

Kevin Martin earned the start for UT, as the lefty dealt five solid innings. He would allow now runs and struck out six batters as he improved his record to 6-0 on the season.

In game two, the Rollins pitching staff was able to contain the Spartans offense and use clutch hitting to take the 5-3 victory. 

The Tars would get on the board first in the second inning as they scored on a single and an RBI groundout. 

They would hold on to the lead until the bottom of the sixth inning when the Spartans were able to tie the game up at two. After Lee and Chacon reached base with two outs in the inning, Chris Gaffney would come up clutch with a pinch-hit triple to tie the game up.

Rollins would respond to take the lead back from Tampa with two runs in the sixth and a run in the seventh. 

UT would threaten in the last inning as they were able to push a run across on a Cosenzo RBI single. The Spartans, however, were unable to complete the comeback as the Tars were able to get deNoyelles to groundout to seal the victory.

Trey Oest earned the start for Tampa, as the senior worked a perfect first inning. He would then be relieved by Cody Martin, who would throw two innings and allow two runs.

Michael Calkins came in relief for Martin, going four innings and allowing three runs. With the loss, his record falls to 3-3 on the year. Jimmy Hodgskin threw the final inning, striking out a batter.

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