Offensive Outburst Pushes Spartans Past Bucs

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – The University of Tampa Softball Program opens the final regular season series of the season with a high-scoring win over the Bucs.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Records: Tampa 33-11 (20-8), Barry 24-29 (11-17)

Location: Buccaneer Field | Miami Shores, Fla.

History: Tonight's meeting was the 131st meeting between the Bucs and Spartans, with the Spartans trailing in the all-time series 54-77.

Final: Tampa 9, Barry 5

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Spartans started the final series of the regular season slowly, as Gwen McGinnis uncharacteristically allowed a pair of runs to score in the first inning giving the Bucs the early lead. However, the lead would not last long as the Spartans had the answer in the third inning. Tampa would score their first run on a wild pitch, but soon after get back-to-back RBIs off the bat of Cam Feast and Joey Trawick to grab their first lead of the game. Tampa would pad their lead in the top of the fifth through the use of great small ball execution, as the first run of the inning would come across through Kinnah Kreidler providing a sac bunt to score the run which was followed by a sacrifice fly from Hannah Yetter to make it 5-2 Spartans. The Bucs would get two of those runs right back in the fifth though, as they were able to knock three consecutive hits to score both runs early in the inning. However, McGinnis was able to shut the door by inducing an inning ending double play to propel the Spartans into the sixth. The teams would exchange two out runs in the sixth, with an Aubrey Zechmann base hit bringing home Jenna Neupaver for the Spartans, leaving the Spartans with a narrow 6-5 advantage through six. Tampa would deliver the deciding blow in the seventh inning in the form of a two out, two run triple off the bat of Abbey Johns followed by an RBI single off the bat of Lennox Ullrich to mark the first RBI of her Spartan career. The four run gap would be plenty, as McGinnis would finish off the Bucs with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to book another Spartan victory.  

INSIDE THE STATS:  

• McGinnis - W (24-4): 7.0 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 11 H, 5 SO, 1 BB 

• Johns - 2-4, 2 RBI (13), 3B (1), R

• Trawick - 2-3, RBI (14), 2B (6), R

• Feast - 3-4, RBI (18), 2 R 

• Neupaver - 3-5, 2B (3), 2 R, SB (10)

() - Season total

UP NEXT: The Spartans finish their season in Miami Shores with a double header tomorrow, May 9, with the first game starting at noon.