TAMPA, Fla. – The number-one ranked University of Southern Indiana baseball team dropped its season opener and the first round of its three-game series with the second-ranked University of Tampa, 8-2, Friday night in Tampa, Florida. USI starts the year, 0-1, while Tampa remains perfect in 2015 at 7-0.
The two teams resume the series Saturday at 5 p.m. (CST) when the Screaming Eagles and the Spartans meet for game two. Game coverage can be found on GoUSIEagles.com.
The Eagles spotted the Spartans a 1-0 lead in the first inning and needed three innings to get the bats going. USI junior rightfielder
Kyle Kempf (Evansville, Indiana) started a fourth-inning rally with the Eagles' first hit of the year, a single up the middle.
Kempf also scored the Eagles first run of the year and knotted the game at 1-1 when he crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by junior third baseman
Trent Gunn (Tell City, Indiana). He had moved into scoring position on a single by junior first baseman
Andrew Cope (Evansville, Indiana) and a sacrifice bunt by senior shortstop
Matt Chavarria (Carlsbad, New Mexico).
The Spartans, however, did not let the Eagles keep the momentum, pushing three runs across in the bottom of the fifth inning to re-took the lead, 4-1.
USI would try to keep pace in the top of the sixth when Kempf crossed the plate with the Eagles' second run of the contest. Kempf, who had doubled to lead off the inning, would advance to third on a single by Cope and score on a ground out by Chavarria. Cope would finish the game with a team-high three hits.
This would be all of the offense the Eagles could muster in the opening game of the season. The Spartans, who were already in their seventh game of the year, would add another tally in the bottom of the sixth and seventh and a pair of runs in the eighth for the 8-2 final.
USI senior right-hander
Ben Wright (Newburgh, Indiana) took the loss for the Eagles, working the first five innings. Wright (0-1), who gave up just one unearned run through the first four innings, allowed eight hits and five runs, four earned. He also walked two and struck out one in his first outing of the year.
