No. 2 Spartans Spoil Senior Day for Eckerd

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd baseball team was on the verge of pulling an upset of No. 2 Tampa on senior day, but the Spartans ended up spoiling the final home games of the season for the Tritons as they took both ends of a Saturday double header, 5-4 and 24-9.

In the opening game, Eckerd got a brilliant performance on the mound from freshman Alex Moore who held Tampa to only two runs in 7-2/3 innings pitched.  After allowing both runs in the second following a two-out error, Moore shut down the Spartans over the next five innings.

The Triton offense, meanwhile, tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on a pair of perfectly executed hit-and-run plays.  After Garrett Hiott and Grant Banko drew walks to lead off the inning, Mitchell Calandra delivered a single into the left-center gap to bring in the speedy Hiott from second.  One batter later, Nick Conti sent a ball past the second baseman that tied the game.

Eckerd then took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out RBI single by Nick Hill.

The lead held until the top of the eighth.  Moore retired the first two batters but gave up a two-out single to Laz Rivera that ended his day.  Kevin Kane (1-2) entered in relief, issuing a walk before Adrian Chacon swung the momentum back in Tampa's favor with a three-run home run to left.

Hill answered with a solo home run, his sixth of the season, in the bottom of the eighth to make it 5-4.

Gardner Nutter set the Spartans down in order in the ninth, giving the Tritons a chance to rally in the bottom of the inning.  It appeared Eckerd would do just that.

Tom Buonopane reached base with a one-out single, following by a double ripped down the left field line by Carter Cashman.  Buonopane rounded third on his way to score, but stumbled halfway down the line giving Tampa enough time to complete the relay to the plate, cutting down what would have been the tying run.

Trey Oest then stranded the tying run at second by striking out Justin Glover to end the game.

The series finale started quite differently as Tampa (39-7, 18-3 SSC) scored seven runs in the top of the first inning.  Eckerd, however, came back with three in the bottom of the frame and seemed poised to add more but left the bases loaded.

The Spartan offense continued to produce, totaling five home runs in the game including a grand slam by Vin Cosenzo built a 24-4 lead.  After Eckerd's three-run first, the trio of Michael Calkins, David Heintz and Mark Moclair silenced the Triton bats over the next seven innings only allowing one more run, an RBI double by Banko in the fourth.

Showing no signs of quitting, however, EC plated five runs in the final inning including a two-run double by Conti and a two-run single by Daniel Autiello.

Dillon McCollough (4-4) took the loss, allowing seven runs in the first inning although only two were earned.  Hiott had a big game at the plate with four hits while Calandra added three.  

Hill, Calandra, Conti each had two hits in the opener.

Before the first game, the Tritons' 11 seniors were honored in their final games at the Turley Athletic Complex.

Eckerd (16-26, 4-17 SSC) finishes the 2016 season next weekend with a three-game series at Florida Tech beginning on Friday.