AMERICUS, Ga. — The Georgia Southwestern State University baseball team showed plenty of fight Saturday afternoon, but an early five-run inning proved too much to overcome against the nation's top-ranked team.
Despite a 10-hit effort at the plate, the Hurricanes fell 6-3 to the University of Tampa in Game 2 of the three-game nonconference series at Hurricane Stadium.
The Spartans entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in both the American Baseball Coaches Association and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association polls and improved to 16-2 with the victory.
Spartans Strike Early
Tampa wasted little time taking control.
After loading the bases in the first inning, Walker Vanecek delivered an RBI single before Javi Soto cleared them with a three-run double to right center. The five-run frame gave the Spartans an early cushion before GSW even came to the plate.
The Hurricanes responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, capitalizing on a pair of Tampa errors.
Josh McDonald drove in the first run with a groundout and
Evan Wainman followed by reaching on an error that brought home another to cut the deficit to 5-2.
Murphy Leads the Offense
GSW continued to chip away throughout the afternoon.
Devon Murphy paced the Hurricanes with three hits, including a double, giving him his team-leading 11th multi-hit game of the spring.
Kelsen Johnson added two hits, while Wainman and
Edwin Melendez also collected hits during a steady offensive performance.
The Hurricanes pulled within two runs in the sixth when Wainman singled and later scored on
Drew Reaves' RBI fielder's choice.
Tampa Adds Insurance
The Spartans managed only four hits after the first inning but added a key insurance run in the ninth.
Gunnett Carlson doubled to start the frame and later scored when Jordan Evans delivered an RBI double to extend the Tampa lead to 6-3.
That extra run helped the Spartans close out the victory despite a late push from the Hurricanes.
Streaks Continue
Several Hurricanes continued impressive offensive streaks during the loss.
Drake Harman singled in the fifth inning to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. Murphy and Johnson also kept their consistency going, each reaching base safely for the 17th consecutive contest.
Murphy now leads the team with 11 multi-hit performances this season.
Next Up
GSW will look to bounce back in the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
Despite the loss, the Hurricanes again showed they can compete with the nation's best, matching Tampa hit-for-hit in another tightly contested game.
