Box Score / Event Stats

Blazers Fall 16-6 to Tampa

VSU to play Rollins Saturday at Noon

TAMPA, Fla. - No. 2 Tampa scored seven runs in the first inning as the Spartans defeated No. 12 Valdosta State 17-7 in the second day of play at the NCAA South Region Tournament Friday evening.

Tampa (44-8) sent 11 men to the plate while scoring the seven runs in the first. Correy Figueroa was hit by a pitch to open the game and Patrick Donahue singled through the right-side of the infield before Mike Schwartz drew a walk. Mike Blanke was hit by a pitch to force home Figueroa and Jared Simone singled to left to plate Donahue. Chris Wrobel relieved Blazer starter Ross Gusky and got a strikeout before walking Brad Roberts to plate Schwartz. Dylan Brown followed with a double to left that scored Blanke and Simone while a ground out plated Roberts and a wild pitch Brown to give Tampa a 7-0 lead.

A Cox base hit in the third scored Roberts for the eighth Spartan run of the game while Figueroa also singled in the frame to score Cox to push the UT advantage to 9-0 before Schwartz hit a two run double to push the Spartan advantage to 11 runs.

Clayton Cain hit his 19th home run of the year in the bottom of the third, scoring Brandon Decker who was hit by a pitch, to cut the VSU deficit to 11-2 while the Blazers (43-16) scored two more runs in the fourth.

Jordan Hollis drew a walk to open the Valdosta State fourth and got to third as Chris Jones doubled down the left field line. Two batters later Ryan Danbury singled up the middle to score both base runners, pulling VSU to within seven runs.

Schwarz doubled and scored Figueroa and Blanke hit a sacrifice fly that plated Donahue in the seventh while ground outs by Tyler Cox Figureroa in the eight added two more runs for the Spartans.

Jon Koenigsfeld singled and plated Antonio Clark, who had doubled to open the frame, in the bottom of the eighth. The VSU shortstop took advantage of a throwing error by Blanke later in the inning while Tampa plated two final runs in ninth.

Koenigsfeld plated the final run with a single in the bottom of the ninth.

Gusky allowed two hits and five runs without recording an out as he fell to 8-4 on the season. Wrobel went six and a third innings and allowed 12 hits and eight runs.

Koenigsfeld finished with three hits in the game while Danbury and Jordan Yost had two hits each to as the Blazers pounded out 14 hits in the game.

Aaron Gerbasi went an inning and a third in relief and surrendered three hits to improve to 3-0. Figureroa, Schwarz, Roberts and Donahue finished with three hits each as Tampa tallied 19 in the game.

Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, May 15 at Noon when the Blazers will face Rollins in an elimination game.

Current News >>