Bats Put No. 3 Tampa on Verge of Sweep of Maryville

 TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 3 University of Tampa baseball team fell behind early, but prevailed with an onslaught of runs to defeat visiting Maryville University in game two of a three-game series.

Final: No. 3 Tampa Spartans 10, Maryville Saints 6 

Records: Tampa (6-2), Maryville (0-2) 

Location: UT Baseball Field || Tampa, Fla. 

All-Time Series: Tampa leads the series 2-0 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• • Maryville jumped out to an early lead on back-to-back Spartan errors to start the game. Zeb Roos started the scoring in the first with a groundout to the shortstop. After a walk to Elias Stevens, Jacob Hager hit an RBI double to left field to put the Saints up 2-0. The third run of the inning came on a sacrifice fly to left field by Stephen Randazzo. The Saints continued to pour it on when Matt Arnold laced a single up the middle to put them up four in the first. | 4-0 Saints 
• • Tampa got right to it in the bottom of the first. Drew Ehrhard hustled out a double followed up by a J.D. Urso single to get the Spartans on the board. Anthony Nunez dunked a single into center field, and E.J. Doskow ripped a line drive double down the left field line to bring Tampa within one. | 4-3 Saints 
• • Michael Gould started the inning by reaching base on the second error of the day by Urso. The Saints perfectly executed a hit and run to put runners on the corners. Followed by a stolen base by Roos, Eli Thurmond came back to strike out the next two batters to hold the Saints scoreless in the top half of the second and strand two in scoring position. | 4-3 Saints 
• • Jack Zebig got the top of the fourth started with a leadoff walk and was followed up by a Gould single through the left side to put two on with no outs. Ashton Pocol relieved Thurmond with one out in the frame and immediately got greeted with a double steal to put two runners in scoring position. After falling behind 3-0 in the count, Stevens was intentionally walked to set up the force out at every base. A deep sac fly to right center by Hager gave the Saints a two-run lead. Following a walk to load the bases, Pocol struck out Randazzo to get out of the jam. | 5-3 Saints 
• • Santiago Garavito sparked the Spartans in the bottom of the fourth by reaching second to start the inning. Doskow followed him up with a single of his own to keep the rally going. Adam Hunt toughed out a long at bat that ended with a sacrifice fly to trim Maryville's lead to one. | 5-4 Saints 
• • Ehrhard reached base for the second time today to start the home half of the fifth; this time via the hit by pitch but was thrown out trying to reach third base on an Urso single. After a collision between Roos and Gould, Tampa tied the game as Urso crossed the plate and Garavito made his way to second on the error. | 5-5 Tied 
• • Maryville responded with a leadoff walk to start the frame but was quickly erased when Tampa turned a 4-6-3 double play. With two outs, Stevens broke the tie with a solo home run to right field. | 6-5 Saints 
• • A few pitching changes for Maryville proved to be no good as Tampa struck for three in the sixth. The inning started when E.J. Cumbo grounded a single against the shift and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. The wild pitching continued as Hunt worked a walk. Saladino followed that up with a sac bunt to move two runners into scoring position. Another hit by pitch loaded the bases up for Ehrhard and then a walk to him tied the game. Urso came up clutch with a sac fly that ended up scoring two runs when Arnold made an error allowing Jordan Lala and T.J. Palma to score. | 8-6 Spartans 
• • Tampa added a few insurance runs in the eighth. Lala dropped a single right in front of the center fielder, and Ehrhard laid down a beautiful bunt on the first base line for back-to-back singles to get the inning going. A double steal put two men in scoring position and set up Nunez for a sac fly. Garavito proceeded to add his second RBI of the day with a single up the middle. |10-6 Spartans 
• • The Tampa bullpen showed up today and dominated for 5 2/3 innings while only allowing one earned run. Jack Brodsky gets the win, and Paul Sullivan gets the save. | Final: 10-6 Spartans

INSIDE THE STATS: 

• • Ehrhard went 2-3 with 1 RBI 
• • Urso went 2-4 with 2 RBI 
• • Doskow went 2-4 with 1 RBI 
• • Sullivan earned his first save striking out three in relief 
• • Tampa hit 3 RBI with two outs 

UP NEXT: Tampa will continue its series against Maryville on Sunday, February 19 at 12:00 p.m.