Tampa Takes Walk-Off Win from Lions
| Final (11) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Leo
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 1 |
|
Tampa
|
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 2 |
TAMPA, Fla. - In walk-off fashion, the No. 3 University of Tampa baseball team defeated Saint Leo University 6-5 after 11 innings of play. The Spartans improve to 18-3 with a 3-1 record in Sunshine State Conference play while the visiting Lions dip to 15-7 on their campaign with a 0-4 conference tally.
Some late inning magic from sophomore Jacob Tillotson tied the game, as the shortstop smacked a bases clearing triple to right field. The three-bagger paved the way to Tyler Ding hitting an RBI single to solidify the Tampa win in the home half of the 11th.
Junior Zach Gawrych roped his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to straight away center in the game while Ding was the only Spartan to record multiple hits, batting 3-for-6 with two RBI.
Right-handed pitcher Caleb Kellogg (3-1) tossed the final three innings to earn the win, limiting the Lions to a pair of hits and sending five down on strikes. SLU reliever Adam Albers was credited with the loss, after allowing a single run in 2.1 innings of work.
Saint Leo struck first in the contest, adding a run in each of the first two innings, pitting the Spartans against a 0-2 deficit.
Outfielder Gawrych launched his solo home run to tie the game in the home half of the fifth, knotting up the score 2-2.
Saint Leo added a trio of runs between the sixth and seventh innings to regain the lead 5-2.
Shortstop Tillotson laced a bases loaded triple to right center, clearing the bases and tying the game 5-5 in the eighth inning.
Junior Ding hit his game-winning single down the right side in the bottom of the eleventh inning, ending the thriller 6-5 in favor of the Spartans.
Tampa starting pitcher Preston Packrall did not factor into the decision, allowing three runs on 10 hits in his five innings of work.
Tampa continues the SSC series with Saint Leo Saturday in twin-bill fashion, set for a 1 p.m. start. Live stats in addition to a live video webcast will be available through www.tampaspartans.tv.
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