It was a tale of two teams today at University of Tampa Baseball Field, as the Tampa Spartans shutout the Harvard University Crimson, 11-0. The win gave the Spartans (26-6) the season-sweep over the Division I opponent.
The game was a showcase of strong starting pitching, timely hits, and impressive defense on Tampa’s side, while the lads from Harvard (2-5) offered atrocious defensive skills and an inability to get the big hit.
Harvard finished the game with a laughable six errors. Of the 11 runs Tampa scored, seven were unearned.
On the Spartans side, freshman starter Anthony Perez (4-0) kept his perfect record intact with six beautifully mastered innings. Without overpowering Crimson hitters, he was able to keep them off balance, and he allowed only two hits on the day.
“I tried not to do too much today,” he said. “I tried to throw it over the plate and get as many strikes as possible.”
This was the kind of start that coach Joe Urso was waiting for from his first-year standout.
“In my opinion, this was probably his best outing of the year,” he said. “We’ve been looking for him to step up a little bit and we’re just excited to get six, strong innings from him.”
The offense was spread around for the Spartans, with second baseman Ryan Kennedy leading the way, going 3 for 3 with a walk, two runs scored, and an RBI. Right fielder Paul Cruz also chipped in with a 2 for 4 showing and an RBI.
Six of the nine starting Tampa lineup registered a hit.
Harvard had their opportunities to avoid being the first team shutout by the Spartans this season. But good Tampa defense prevented them from scoring.
In the top of the second, Harvard designated hitter Andrew Prince led off the inning with a walk. But Perez educed the groundball. Shortstop Roberto Mena turned the double play.
Perez got out of another jam in the fourth. With a runner on third and two outs, Crimson shortstop Jeff Stoeckel hit a chopper to third. Third baseman Craig Corrado fielded the ball and threw wildly to first. First baseman Jose Jimenez came off the bag and made a nice tag on the sliding runner for the third out of the inning.
Another double play in the sixth was equally impressive as the first. With runners on first and third and one out, Crimson third baseman Steffan Wilson hit a hard liner to Mena, who made the tough catch and quickly threw to first, ending yet another threat.
The defense, which had been so shaky last Friday night against Florida Gulf Coast, was sensation today. Urso took notice of the effort and sees this win as an indication to just how good this team can be.
“We really turned that around,” he said. “Great championship type teams, they’re going to win with pitching and defense, not with all the home runs. So it was nice to win with pitching and defense today.”