Spartans Even Series as B.J. Bailey Improves Perfect Record

AMERICUS, Ga. — The No. 1 University of Tampa baseball team responded to Friday's loss with a strong bounce‑back performance, defeating Georgia Southwestern 6–3 on Saturday afternoon at Hurricane Stadium.

The Spartans improved to 16–2 behind a five‑run opening inning and a quality start from B.J. Bailey, who moved to 5–0 after holding the Hurricanes to one earned run over seven innings. Tampa finished with nine hits, executed early offense, and received a two‑inning save from Luke Fikar to even the weekend series.

How It Happened

Tampa wasted little time seizing control, striking for five runs in the top of the first. After singles from Jesse Ponce, Brayden Woodburn, and Jhoander Irigoyen, Walker Vanecek opened the scoring with an RBI single to left, bringing home Woodburn and Ponce. Moments later, Gunnett Carlson worked a walk to load the bases, and Javi Soto delivered the biggest swing of the inning — a three‑run double to right‑center, pushing the Spartans ahead 5–0.

The Hurricanes responded with two unearned runs in the bottom half, but Bailey settled into a dominant rhythm, retiring 13 of the next 16 hitters. Tampa threatened again in the fourth and sixth but stranded runners, while Bailey continued to keep the Hurricanes quiet with a combination of ground‑ball outs and timely strikeouts.

Georgia Southwestern inched closer in the sixth when Evan Wainman singled in a run on a fielder's choice, trimming the margin to 5–3, but Bailey stranded the tying runner in scoring position to preserve the lead.

The Spartans added insurance in the ninth. Gunnett Carlson doubled to left‑center, Jack Martinez drew a walk, and Jordan Evans lined an RBI double to the gap to extend Tampa's lead to 6–3. In the bottom half, Fikar encountered a pair of singles but induced a game‑ending double play to secure his second save of the season.

Top Performers

• B.J. Bailey (W, 5–0): 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 4 SO. Stabilized the game after early unearned runs and held the Hurricanes scoreless for five straight innings.
• Javi Soto: 1-for-3, 3 RBI, double, walk. Delivered the decisive swing with a three‑run double in the first.
• Walker Vanecek: 1-for-4, RBI, run. Opened the scoring with a two‑run single after a strong team start to the inning.
• Gunnett Carlson: 1-for-2, double, 2 runs, 2 walks. Reached base three times and scored the key insurance run in the ninth.
• Jordan Evans: 1-for-5, RBI double. Capped the scoring with a ninth‑inning extra‑base hit.
• Jhoander Irigoyen: 1-for-3, run. Reached in the first to help set up Tampa's five‑run opening inning.
• Jesse Ponce & Brayden Woodburn: Each recorded a hit and scored in the first‑inning surge to ignite Tampa's offense.
• Luke Fikar (Sv, 2): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 SO. Two-way player shut the door late and rolled a double play to end the game.

Up Next

Tampa and Georgia Southwestern conclude the series on Sunday. The rubber game is scheduled for 1 p.m..