Sean Keady
Sean Keady

3 Tampa Pitchers Combine to Blank Bentley in Season-Opener

TAMPA, Fla. – A trio of University of Tampa pitchers combined to strikeout 16 during a five-hit shutout of Bentley University Friday night in non-conference college baseball at the UT Baseball Field.  It was the season-opener for both clubs.

Senior lefty Sean Bierman (Kinnelton, N.J.) fanned six over the first three-innings, junior righty Aaron Gerbasi (Plant City, Fla.) punched out three in his three innings of work, and junior lefty Mike Adams (Spring Hill, Fla.) closed the game with six strikeouts over the final three innings.

The Spartans, ranked second nationally in Division II preseason, opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the third. Senior right fielder Damon Elder (Reno, Nev.) plated the first two with a triple to right center, and he trotted home when junior center fielder Andrew Jones (Doyletown, Ohio) followed with a single to left center.

Tampa added two runs in both the fifth and eighth innings.  Junior first baseman Jake Schrader (San Antonio, Fla.) and senior third baseman Eric Grabe (Ocala, Fla.) had the RBIs to make it 5-0, and sophomore left fielder Connor Obrochta (Gulfport, Fla.) had the only RBI in the eighth with the other run scoring on a passed ball.

Junior shortstop Anthony Caronia (Orlando, Fla.) had four of Tampa's 10 hits, and he was one of three Spartans to cross home plate twice.

Sophomore center fielder and lead-off hitter Sean Keady (Norwood, Mass./Norwood HS) two hits for Bentley in his 2012 debut, and he also stole a base.

One of the Falcons' best scoring chances came in the first when Keady opened the game with a single and junior second baseman Logan Gillis (Merrimack, N.H./Lawrence Academy) reached on the first of four Tampa errors. However, Bierman retired the next three and the two were stranded in scoring position.

Bentley also left two in scoring position in the fifth inning, with Keady again stranded on third.

Junior righthander John Yohe (Merrick, N.Y./St. Dominic HS), the first of three Bentley pitchers, was charged with the loss after he gave up five hits and three runs in his three innings of work.

The two teams will continue their weekend series with games at 6 pm Saturday and 11 am Sunday.