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FGCU baseball loses first NCAA game
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TAMPA — Florida Gulf Coast University lost its first NCAA Division II South Region game, 12-5, against top-seeded and top-ranked host University of Tampa on a scalding Saturday afternoon.
Playing less than 12 hours after it beat No. 3 Catawba, 10-7, FGCU (41-16) had four costly errors and managed just five hits off Ross Jackson (11-0) and Aaron Cook as Tampa (49-6) pounded out 16 hits off Casey Coleman (3-1) and Troy Beall to advance to Sunday's championship round (if Tampa loses the first game, it would have to play again).
Spartans shortstop Roberto Mena led the assault, going 5-for-5 with a triple and two doubles and an RBI in front of 283 fans.
Tampa came in having outscored No. 6 Albany State and No. 4 Florida Southern 22-3 in regional play. The Spartans beat FGCU in two of three regular-season games at Swanson Stadium.
FGCU played Catawba, winners over Lynn, Saturday night.
The Eagles beat Lynn, 7-5, in Thursday's regional opener and split with the Fighting Knights in the regular season.
If the Eagles make it past Lynn, they'll face Tampa at 1 p.m. Sunday. If they lose, their season ends.
Mena's leadoff triple in the third was rewarded with a sacrifice fly by Troy Ferguson for 1-0.
FGCU answered in the top of the third when Jason Louwsma scored an unearned run to tie at 1-all.
The Spartans picked up two more runs in the fifth when Mena led off with a double and moved to third on Ferguson's sacrifice bunt. With two outs, FGCU shortstop Patrick Garrido's throwing error allowed Mena to score and a Lee Cruz single brought home Orlando Rosales.
The Eagles cut the deficit to 3-2 in the top of the sixth after Josh Upchurch doubled to deep center, scampered to third on Coleman's grounder and scored on Louwsma's sacrifice fly.
Tampa took this by the throat in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs on four hits -- including doubles by Mena and Cruz -- and a wild pitch and an error for 7-2.
The Spartans added another run in the seventh with three singles before FGCU made it interesting in the eighth. Singles by Graig Smith, pinch-hitter Derek Mollica and Coleman, and a double by Ian Manson cut the gap to 8-5. A Mike Cleghorn fly to center ended the threat with Manson and Shawn Griffin (who had walked) on base.
Jose Jimenez ended all doubt with a two-run homer to right in the bottom of the eighth. And Tampa tacked on two more runs with another FGCU error and Mena's last single.
FGCU 000101030-5
UT 00102414X-12
FGCU-Coleman, Beall (6) and Smith. UT-Jackson, Cook (8) and Hopf. 2B-Upchurch, Manson (FGCU), Hopf, Mena (2), Cruz (UT). 3B-Mena (UT). HR-Jimenez (UT).
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