Late-Inning Heroics Lead Spartans In NCAA Championship Opener

CARY, N.C. – The University of Tampa baseball team capitalized on a four-run eighth inning and secured the game one victory in the NCAA DII Championship Series. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: (#2) Tampa 4 (W: Jacinto Arredondo, 3-1), (#7) Mercyhurst 2 (L: Tyler Garbee, 8-3)

Records: (#2) No. 3 University of Tampa Spartans (42-14), (#7) No. 19 Mercyhurst University Lakers (34-15)

Location: USA Baseball National Training Complex || Cary, N.C.

All-time Series: The lone game of the series took place in 2015, as the Spartans defeated the Lakers 3-1 in Cary, N.C., en route to their seventh NCAA title. 

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HOW IT HAPPENED: 

TOP 2ND: The Lakers tallied the first runs of the ballgame in game one as Matthew Schneider led off the inning with a single to right field. Josh Surowiec roped a fly-ball to deep right-center field and Danny Blair brought back the potential long-ball, however Surowiec walked into second for a double. Schneider scored on a groundout, and Surowiec scored from second on an error by Cole Perry. || MU led 2-0

BOT 8TH: To lead off the inning, Blair tacked on his second walk of the evening. In his first plate appearance of the game, Nick Derr wore a pitch to give Tampa their first threat of the ballgame. It was the first time UT had multiple runners on base. Danny Sirven blooped an RBI base-knock in left-center field to cut the deficit in half. After another hit-by-pitch to Steven Smith, the bases were loaded for Cole Perry. Perry laced his second triple of the season to clear the bases and give the Spartans a two-run lead. || UT led 4-2

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Keven Pimentel went seven innings for the ninth time this season; the senior struck out eight batters, walked one, and allowed two runs (one un-earned) on four hits. 
• Arredondo came into relief and logged the final six outs; the junior right-hander recorded his second victory of the year.
• Sirven went 2-for-4, and the senior has recorded multiple hits in each of the last seven games.
• Blair reached base in all three plate appearances; earning two walks and a single in the fifth. 
• Sirven, Perry and Blair were the only Spartans to log a base-hit. 
• Mercyhurst's starting pitcher Tyler Garbee, a University of Pittsburgh transfer, notched 12 strikeouts; the Spartans have been struck out 12+ times in only three games this season.

OUTSIDE THE BOX:

• Pimental has tossed at least seven innings in his last six starts.
• Sirven, extended his hit-streak to ten games with his fourth inning single. 
• The Spartans have won eight straight games, remaining undefeated in 2019 NCAA postseason play. 

UP NEXT:

The University of Tampa will take the field on Tuesday evening as they face off against UC-San Diego at 7 p.m. in Cary, N.C. Follow the live stream, along with in-game statistics, on NCAA.com

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