Tampa Responds with Doubleheader Sweep of Barry
TAMPA, Fla. - The third-ranked University of Tampa baseball team rebounded from a tough 4-2 loss on Friday night to sweep a doubleheader against Barry University and take the season series 2-1 over the Buccaneers. Tampa won the first game 13-5, and added four runs late in game two to claim the series victory with an 8-4 win. The Spartans are now 38-9-1 on the season and 17-7 in Sunshine State Conference play, while Barry falls to 32-19 and 11-13 in SSC action.
Jesus Barroso led the Spartans with a combined 6-8 day with five runs scored and an RBI. Steven Broschofsky drove in a team-high four runs in the twin bill as part of a 4-7 day while Paul Cruz chipped in with four hits, including his third home run of the season.
Neither starter got a decision for the Spartans in the twin bill, as Josh Bowman threw the first four innings in game one and Scott Chapman pitched three innings to start game two. Bowman allowed four runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out three in his 13th start of the season. Chapman made his 12th start of the season in game two and allowed two runs on six hits, while walking two and striking out three.
John Wiedenbauer came into game one in relief of Bowman and threw five innings of one-run ball, surrendering three hits while walking three and striking out five to pick up his fourth win of the season. Danny Keefe threw an inning and a third of shutout ball in game two to record his second win of the season. Spartan closer Anthony Perez came in a pitched the final two and two-thirds innings to record his 15 th save of the season, allowing two runs on six hits while walking one and striking out five.
Barry jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in game one on an RBI single through the left side by John Servidio. The Spartans stormed back with five runs in the bottom of the inning on three hits and two Bucs errors to take a 5-1 lead into the second inning.After Cruz walked and stole second, Barroso hit a 2-2 pitch up the middle to score Cruz from second and tie the score at 1-1. Ryan Williams then reached on an error by the Bucs first baseman, advancing to second on the error and pushing Barroso over to third with no outs. Third baseman Jose Jimenez followed by hitting a 2-0 pitch to center field for a sacrifice fly, allowing Barroso to score the go-ahead run and put the Spartans up 2-1.
Broschofsky and Brett McKean followed later in the inning with a pair of RBI singles to extend the Spartan lead to 4-1 before Leo Alvarez came home on a balk to put the Spartans up 5-1 after one. Barry then cut the lead to 5-4 with three runs in the top of the second on an RBI single by Yudelmis Hernandez, and a two-run single by Nick Shaw.
The Spartans then put the game out of reach by scoring eight runs over the course of three innings to take a 13-5 lead. Tampa sent eight men to the plate as part of a three run fourth inning, highlighted by an RBI single by Jimenez. The Spartans scored three more runs in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Jimenez and a two-run double by Broschofsky. Tampa added a pair of runs in the sixth on a two-run home run by Cruz to right center, his third of the season that put the Spartans up 13-5.
Game two began in much the same way as the first, as Barry scored once in the top of the first on an RBI single by Andrew Frezza to take a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the first. The Spartans took the lead in the bottom of the inning when Broschofsky lined a 2-1 pitch up the middle for a two-run single to put the Spartans up 2-1 after one.
The teams traded runs in the third inning on a pair of RBI singles by Barry's Joel Keefe and Tampa's Jimenez as the Spartans carried a slim 3-2 advantage into the fourth inning. Tampa's offense doubled the lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Casey Albanese before sending nine men to the plate as part of a four run fifth inning that included a two-run single by Nolan Brannon and a two-run double by Albanese to take an 8-2 lead after five.
Barry added a pair of runs in the sixth and seventh innings to cut the lead to 8-4, but was unable to close the gap further as the Spartans captured their 38th win of the season in their regular season finale.
Tampa now awaits word from the NCAA on the location of the south region tournament to take place May 15-18.