#1 Tampa Makes it Six Straight With Wins Over Valdosta State

Box score

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The #1 University of Tampa (12-2) took two games from Valdosta State (10-7) with the scores 13-5 and 9-4.

Tampa took advantage of two Valdosta State errors in the first inning to score eight runs. Troy Ferguson had two hits in the inning including a towering solo homerun to right field, his third of the season. Junior Mejia picked up two RBI on his triple to right center, on the play he drew a bad relay throw from the Blazer second baseman, the ball skipped into the third base dugout allowing Mejia to score as well.

Ross Jackson retired the first seven batters he faced before surrendering a single in the top of the third. With the runner on first, Nick Phillips popped a ball up to shallow left field. The ball looked like it was surely going to drop when Roberto Mena made a twisting over the shoulder catch, then tossed to first behind the runner to end the inning.

Jose Jimenez collected three RBI on his fourth homerun of the season in the fourth inning. Chris Rosenbaum plated Craig Corrado later in the frame giving Tampa a 12-0 lead.

The Blazers got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with four runs. Rance Morgan hit a two-run homerun to left to score Valdosta's first runs of the game. Jacob Jarvis reached on a fielder's choice and drove in a run and Phillips picked up an RBI, drawing a bases loaded walk.

Ryan Kennedy picked up his 16th RBI of the season in the fifth, on a sacrifice fly, driving in Mejia.

Valdosta scored one more run in the bottom of the seventh off relieve pitcher Craig Benner.

Jackson improved his record to 2-0 with six innings pitched. He allowed four runs on five hits and finished with four strikeouts. For the Blazers, Chris Davison fell to 1-3 on the season.

The Spartans got on the scoreboard early in the second game as well, this time with three runs. Jimenez hit his second homerun of the day to right, with Kennedy on base. Later in the inning, Corrado doubled down the left field line, allowing the hustling Mena to score from first.

Tampa added another run in the second when Ferguson singled in Mejia.

With four runs in the bottom of the second, highlighted by Nick Copeland's three-run homerun, the Blazers tied the game at four.

The Spartans reclaimed the lead in the fourth with RBI's from Kennedy and Mena but weren't able to score anymore as they left the bases loaded heading into the bottom half the inning with a 6-4 lead.

Tampa sealed the game in the seventh with two runs off of a double from Mejia and a single off the bat of Kennedy.

Johnny Williams (3-0) was once again victorious after pitching five innings giving up four runs and striking out four. Adam Harmych took the loss for the Blazers and fell to 1-2. Jonathan Holt entered the game in the sixth inning, and tossed two innings for his sixth save of the season.

Tampa and Valdosta State finish their series tomorrow at Billy Grant Field in Valdosta, Ga. at 1:30 pm.