The No. 2 Tampa Spartans showed this weekend that they are deserving of that ranking. They swept the Florida Tech Panthers in a three-game series including two wins Saturday by scores of 17-2 and 11-3. That followed a 10-2 win on Friday night.

The Spartans had 20 hits in game one and scored in every inning. They got things going early against Panthers starter Mitch Harding with E.J. Cumbo hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the first. Two errors in the second inning led to two more runs and Tampa was up 3-0 after two.

A three-run homer off the bat of J.D. Urso made it 6-0 in the bottom of the third. They would add a single run in the fourth to make it 7-0 and put an end to Harding’s day. He pitched 4 innings, allowing 10 hits and seven runs (five earned). He struck out two and did not walk a batter, throwing 74 pitches.

Preston Schumacher started the fifth on the mound and gave up a run, giving Tampa an 8-0 lead. 

The Panthers would finally crack the scoreboard in the top of the sixth. Jack Nagy doubled and came home on a single by Jakob Newton. Newton would eventually score on a Paul Castillo single, making it 8-2.

Tampa would score a single run in the bottom of the frame and add four more in the seventh. The big blast came off the bat of Cumbo in the seventh, as he hit a grand slam, and upped the Spartans’ lead to 13-2.

They would get four more runs in the eighth inning and coast to the victory. Florida Tech finished with five hits in game one.

For more info: Florida Tech @ Tampa Box Score

Schumacher pitched two innings and Andres Tapia and Andrew Dunham pitched one inning each.

Game two started well for the Panthers, as they put up two runs in the top of the first. Dylan Dohanos reached on a fielder’s choice and went to second on a Brett Parrish single. Both runners moved up on a passed ball. Nagy followed with a two-run single to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.

Tampa (12-1, 3-0 SSC) came back with four runs in the bottom of the inning against Panthers starter Noah Steckley. Urso tripled home two and Luke Glancy had an RBI single to highlight the inning.

Urso’s single in the third made it 5-2 and they would add three more in the fourth inning. Drew Ehrhard doubled home a run, and Dan Sullivan singled in a run. A bases-loaded walk made it 8-2. 

The Panthers got a run back in the top of the fifth. Dohanos singled and later scored on a double by Josh Ford to cut the lead to 8-3. Tampa got that run back in their half of the inning on an RBI groundout by Ehrhard.

A balk and an RBI groundout in the seventh brought home Tampa’s last two runs of the game.

For more info: Florida Tech @ Tampa Box Score (Game 2)

Florida Tech (11-4, 3-3 SSC) will look to get back on the winning track Tuesday, March 1 when they host Tiffin University at 6:00 p.m.