Pitching Duel Slips Away as No. 2 Tampa Falls at Nova Southeastern
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The No. 2 University of Tampa baseball team was edged 1–0 by Nova Southeastern on Friday night at the NSU Baseball Complex in the opening game of the Sunshine State Conference series.
The Spartans were held scoreless despite multiple late opportunities, slipping to 28–7 overall and 14–2 in SSC play, while Nova Southeastern improved to 21–3 overall and 9–7 in conference action.
How It Happened
The game's only run came in the bottom of the first inning, when Emilio Gonzalez delivered a solo home run to left field for Nova Southeastern.
From that point forward, pitching took over on both sides. Tampa starter Robert Satin settled in and was sharp the rest of the way, working into the ninth and keeping the Spartans within a run the entire night. Satin scattered six hits, allowed just the lone first‑inning run, and struck out six across eight innings.
Tampa had chances to answer late. The Spartans put runners on base in both the seventh and eighth innings and brought the tying run into scoring position in the seventh before Nova Southeastern worked out of trouble.
Nova Southeastern's pitching staff preserved the shutout, with Nick Manning limiting Tampa to three hits across 6.2 innings, and Ricky Gonzalez closing the door with a 2.1‑inning save.
Top Performers
- Robert Satin (L, 8–2): 8.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO — delivered a strong start and kept Tampa in the game throughout.
- Jake Books: 2‑for‑2, 2 walks — reached base in all four plate appearances.
- Jordan Evans: 1‑for‑5 — recorded one of Tampa's four hits and played clean defense in center field.
- Brayden Woodburn: 1‑for‑3 — added a hit and applied pressure on the bases.
- Jesse Ponce: Reached base twice via walk and handled the middle infield defensively.
Up Next
The Sunshine State Conference series continues on Saturday, with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader between Tampa and Nova Southeastern at the NSU Baseball Complex in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
