Career Night by Jimenez Propels Spartans to Victory

Box score

WINTER PARK, Fla. - The #3 University of Tampa baseball team took game one of a Sunshine State Conference series with Rollins College on Friday night 16-2 behind a career night by junior Jose Jimenez. With the victory, the Spartans improve to 35-7-1 overall and 14-5 in the SSC, while the Tars fall to 29-20-1 overall and 7-11 in the SSC.

Jimenez led the Spartans to victory with a 4-6 game, including a career-high three home runs and 10 RBI to raise his season batting average to .292. With his 10 RBI night, the Miami, Fla. native claimed the team-lead with 41 runs driven in this season. Jimenez is now leading the team with eight home runs this season, and moves past Ozzie Timmons into fourth all-time in Spartan history with 39 career home runs.

Jesus Barroso, Nolan Brannon, Jared Simon, and Rob Kane each had two hits in the game, while Leo Alvarez extended his hitting streak to 12 games with an infield single in the fourth inning. Kevin Ferguson got the start for the Spartans, and took advantage of an early 2-0 lead to pick up his sixth win of the season. The senior left-handed pitcher allowed one run on six hits in seven innings of work, walking two and striking out a career-high 11 batters.

The Spartans opened the scoring with two runs in the third inning on Jimenez's first hit of the game, a two-run single to right field that scored Kane and Paul Cruz to put the Spartans up 2-0 heading into the bottom of the third.

Tampa broke the game open with a five run fifth inning behind the first of three home runs by Jimenez. After Barroso reached on an error and Ryan Williams walked in the fifth, Jimenez came up to bat and hit a 2-0 pitch over the wall in right center for the first of two three-run home runs. Steven Broschofsky followed later in the inning with an RBI double before Kane drove him in with a single up the middle, putting the Spartans up 7-0 after four and a half.

Rollins got on the board in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run by Gary Martoccio to lead off the inning. The home run was the first of the season for Martoccio, and cut the Spartan lead to 7-1 after five innings.

The Spartan offense had just gotten started, however, as they sent 10 men to the plate as part of a five run sixth inning. Following a leadoff walk by Cruz, and a pair of singles by Barroso and Williams, Jimenez took the first pitch he saw and hit one of the longest home runs of his career, clearing the scoreboard in right field for his second three-run home run in as many innings to put the Spartans up 11-1.

With Tampa up 12-1 in the seventh, Jimenez came up to bat with Brett McKean standing on first and hit his third home run of the game, a two-run shot to right center to extend the lead to 14-1. The home run gave the corner infielder 10 RBI for the game, setting a new school record for RBI in a game and tying the school records for home runs and total bases in a single game.

Rollins added a run in the bottom of the eight to cut the lead to 14-2 on an RBI single by Mike Crane that scored Gene Howard from second. The Spartans later added a pair of runs in the ninth on an RBI double by Stephen Merino and an RBI triple by Garrett Maines to go up 16-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Tampa and Rollins will take the field again tomorrow for a doubleheader to conclude the three-game series. The first game is scheduled for 1 pm, with the second game following 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.