Late Davenport Rally Dooms Spartans
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 2 |
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0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
TAMPA, Fla. — The No. 3 University of Tampa baseball team dropped the series finale 8–5 to Davenport on Sunday afternoon at Tampa Baseball Field, a game that went into a weather delay in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and was ultimately called due to weather.
Tampa led 5–2 after six, but Davenport pushed across six runs in the eighth and held on through the stoppage to hand the Spartans a setback in the finale. Tampa would win the four-game series with victories in the first three games across Friday and Saturday.
How It Happened
Tampa manufactured single runs in the second and third for an early 2–0 edge, with Jesse Ponce reaching on a misplay to score Jake Books, and Jordan Evans lifting a sacrifice fly to score Brayden Woodburn. Davenport cut the lead in the fifth on a solo homer, but Tampa answered in the home half when Evans grounded into a double play that brought home Woodburn for a 3–1 advantage.
In the sixth, Tampa pushed it to 5–2: Javi Soto beat out a fielder's choice to score Books, then Woodburn lined an RBI single to right to plate Soto. Starter Tobin Moran had set the table with 5.0 innings of one‑run ball (five strikeouts), Luke Fikar followed with 2.0 innings allowing one run, and the Spartans took a three‑run cushion to the eighth.
Davenport's decisive six‑run eighth flipped the game. A balk brought in the first run of the inning, Cam Johnson followed with a two‑run single, and two Tampa errors on the same play allowed the go‑ahead run to score. The Panthers added two more on RBI singles from Sam Clay and Justin Johnson to make it 8–5.
Tampa brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth and again came to bat in the ninth. With two outs and a runner at third in the bottom of the ninth, play entered a weather delay and was later called, finalizing the result.
Top Performers
- Brayden Woodburn: 2-for-4, 2 runs, RBI; doubled and drove in a key run in the sixth.
- Javi Soto: 1-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, run; reached three times and plated a sixth‑inning insurance run.
- Gunnett Carlson: 1-for-2, 3 BB, run; consistent traffic creator in the two‑hole.
- Tobin Moran: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K; strong start that positioned Tampa to lead into late innings.
- Luke Fikar: 2.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER; bridged the middle frames.
- Alex Laiche / Josiah Velazquez (L, 0-1) / Cade Drohan: worked the eighth and ninth; Davenport's rally in the eighth included a balk, two errors, and three RBI knocks that accounted for six runs (three unearned charged in the frame).
Up Next
Tampa returns to Sunshine State Conference action on Friday with the first game of the series with Palm Beach Atlantic. The game at The Birdcage will begin at 6 p.m.