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May 10, 2025

Tampa Softball Advances To Super Regionals With Win Over Barry

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Tampa, Fla. – The University of Tampa Softball team took the field this afternoon for the final round of the NCAA Softball South Regional. Tampa came into today as the lone undefeated team in the region, posting a 2-0 record. The other last team standing in the region, Barry University, won back to back games after losing their opener to earn a rematch with the Spartans. Both these teams saw each other less than two weeks ago to close out the regular season, a series in which Tampa clinched the SSC title by taking two of three. The Spartans have put themselves in a position to be one win away from reaching this feat but knew the Buccaneers were going to give them everything they had. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Records: Tampa Spartans 42-9, Barry Buccaneers 38-19

Location: Namoli Family Stadium l Tampa, Fla

History: Today's double header marks the 129th and 130th meeting all-time between these two programs. With the split, Tampa is still behind in the all time series with 53 wins and 77 loses.

Game One Final/ 8 Innings: Tampa 0, Barry 1

Game Two Final: Tampa 4, Barry 0

 

HOW IT HAPPENED - GAME ONE:

In a contest that can only be described as a pitchers duel, both sides were dominant in the circle. Despite a leadoff walk drawn by Lilly Kiester, the Spartans were held scoreless in the top of the first. In the bottom half of the inning, Gwen McGinnis bounced back tremendously from a shaky start in round two. She struck out the first batter she faced before inducing two infield pop ups to match Barry's scoreless frame. As the game continued, both starters continued posting zero's as neither side's offense could get anything going. After five innings of play, McGinnis and her Buccaneer counterpart had only allowed four hits and a baserunner had yet to reach third base. Barry's lineup did generate more traffic on the basepaths then the Spartans but neither side had come close to scoring. The Spartans first big opportunity for a run came in the top of the sixth when Alexa Russo smoked a ball to left center for a two out double. The Buccaneers intentionally walked Mariah Galhouse to set up first and second but the Tampa bats were unable to find a clutch two out hit. Keeping Tampa's super regional hopes alive, Gwen McGinnins continued to dominate with a quick 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the sixth. The top of the sixth was the Spartans best chance at getting on the board but the Barry defense backed up their picture in a big way. To lead off the inning, Hannah Yetter and Kate DeSimone both reached base but back to back outfield assists kept them from scoring. Gwen McGinnins tossed her seventh scoreless inning of the game to send this game to extra innings. The Spartans were unable to earn a baserunner in the top of the eight and Buccaneers made them pay. Barry used a one out single and an error to bring home the winning run and force a win or go home game two. 

INSIDE THE STATS:  

 

HOW IT HAPPENED - GAME TWO:

With both teams' seasons on the line, this pivotal game two came down to which side's stars could step up in big ways. For the Spartans, that started with Mariah Galhouse in the circle. The Senior was instrumental in the Spartans win over Nova to give them an opportunity to still advance after the game one loss. She began her start by inducing a weak ground ball to shortstop before picking up her first strikeout of the day. She collected another out to toss her first of many scoreless frames but in the bottom of the first Tampa went down 1-2-3 to make the scoreline 0-0 after the first. Barry earned their first of five hits in the top of the second but Galhouse shut down any idea of a Buccaneer run. The bottom of the inning saw the NCAA South Regional's first weather delay as both teams were forced to vacate their dugouts for close to an hour. After the restart, Devin Hammonds picked up the first Spartans hit of the game with two outs but was left stranded and the game remained scoreless. Mariah Galhouse only needed eight pitches to put up a clean 1-2-3 inning in the top of the third, giving her offense another chance to take the lead. The Tampa bats finally began to wake up as Lilly Kiester and Lauren Fantone rattled off back to back hits to set up second and third with one out. Alexa Russo did her job and produced a deep fly ball to right field allowing Kiester to tag from third to score the game's first run. Galhouse protected the 1-0 lead by tossing another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth and being able to field her position in the fifth. Galhouse and the Spartan defense worked themselves out of a multi-baserunner jam in the top of the fifth and went to the plate looking for insurance runs. With two outs already gone, Mariah Galhouse reached base on an infield error and Kinnah Kreidler reached via a walk. This setup Abby Sulte to have the swing of the regional, launching a deep fly ball way over the left field wall for a three run homerun. This extended the Spartan lead to 4-0  with only six outs to get to punch their ticket to the super regionals. In the top of the sixth, Galhouse induced three straight ground balls that were cleanly dealt with by her infield. After collecting the first three, Tampa had one last chance to extend the lead but went down in order. In the top of the seventh with their season on the line, Barry led off the inning with a base hit to give their dugout some life. However, Galhouse got the next batter to hit into a 4-6-3 double play and just like that the Spartans were one out away. The next batter quickly found herself down 0-2 before flying out to left for the final out of the game. The Spartans officially clinch a birth to the NCAA Super Regional 

 

INSIDE THE STATS: 

 

UP NEXT: The Spartans will host Alabama-Montgomery this week in the NCAA South Super Regional. The winner of this three game set will represent the south region at the NCAA Division II Softball World Series. Game one of this highly anticipated matchup is scheduled for Thursday, May 15th at 6:00pm.