By Terry Hunsicker
TAMPA, Fla. — The University of Tampa Spartans baseball team won against Quincy University on Feb. 14, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning en route to an 8-0 win over the Hawks.
Skylar Gonzalez, senior starting pitcher, threw six scoreless innings and struck out seven batters, while senior third baseman Kevin Karstetter’s bases-loaded triple in the first inning turned into an inside-the-park grand slam to propel UTampa towards a Friday night victory.
Gonzalez said that his location on the fastball, along with his slider and sinker working well during the game, led to his strong pitching performance.
“Get some cheap outs, jam them a little bit,” said Gonzalez. “They hit it soft, gets you ground balls.”
The weather throughout the game was windy. Following the game, UTampa head coach Joe Urso said that the wind helped make it a tough day for hitters and led to some easier outs.
“We hit some balls on the screws, but they weren’t going anywhere to right field,” Urso said.
Despite the conditions, the Spartans began scoring early in the bottom of the first inning. Jordan Williams, a graduate left fielder, led the game by getting hit by a pitch and stealing second and third base. However, graduate shortstop J.D. Urso hit a ground ball to Quincy third baseman David Broughton, who threw to the catcher, and Williams was called out at home.
Cole Russo, senior first baseman, hit a single to advance J.D. Urso to third, and the designated hitter, junior Brayden Woodburn, walked to load the bases with two outs. Karstetter hit a ball hard to right field, and junior right fielder Matt Mateo was unable to field the ball cleanly.
Karstetter was credited with a bases-clearing triple on the play; however, he was also able to score off the throw to home plate, making the play an inside-the-park grand slam while giving UTampa a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
The Spartans added insurance runs late in the game, with senior right fielder Lenny Ashby scoring one run in the bottom of the fifth by getting struck by a pitch with the bases loaded. UTampa scored again in the seventh, with Russo hitting a double that scored J.D. Urso.
The Spartans settled on a final score of 8-0 after two runs were scored in the bottom of the eighth by a pinch-hit double by senior Jake Griffith and a bases-loaded walk by pinch-hitting junior Drake Harman.
The weekend series against Quincy University is the final series before UTampa begins to play Sunshine State Conference (SSC) opponents. The Spartans face Lynn University on Feb. 21 and will play a doubleheader against Lynn on Feb. 22. Coach Urso said that the weekend series against Quincy was their last opportunity to test their team before they begin conference play.
“I want to see [Jhoander] Irigoyen catch two guys that he hasn’t caught, and I want to see [Santiago] Garavito catch a guy that he hasn’t caught as well,” said Urso. “This is the last weekend of testing some new guys out of the bullpen.”
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Thumbnail Image Caption: UTampa senior starting pitcher Skylar Gonzalez pitching. Photo courtesy of Terry Hunsicker.