TAMPA, Fla. | Lenny Ashby drove in three runs as the University of Tampa jumped out to a five-run lead and had to hold off Georgia College & State University 5-3 in a battle of nationally ranked baseball teams Saturday (Feb. 1) afternoon at the Tampa Baseball Field.

The No. 1-ranked Spartans improved to 2-0, while the 13th-ranked Bobcats fell to 0-2. The teams wrap up the three-game series with a noon contest Sunday (Feb. 2). 

Tampa took a 1-0 lead in the second before the Spartans broke the game open with four runs an inning later, highlighted by a three-run homer to right field by Ashby off GCSU starter Bradley Wilson (0-1).

The Bobcats started their comeback with two runs in the fifth. J.D. Coleman, who reached on a single, scored on a balk, while Braeden Smith added an RBI groundout.

GCSU added a run in the top of the eighth to close to within 5-3 after an Evan Cowan RBI single to center field, but that would be as close as they would get as Tampa closer Michael Alfonso tallied his first save as his pitched two shutout innings while striking out four.

C.J. Williams (1-0) earned the win for Tampa.

Five different batters - Ben Hamacher, Smith, Matthew Mebane, Cowan and Coleman - had one hit each for the Bobcats.

About GCSU Athletics 
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.   







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