Tampa, FL – The Albany State Golden Rams opened their NCAA Division II South Region Tournament run on Thursday afternoon against top-seeded University of Tampa but were unable to overcome the powerhouse Spartans, falling 10-2 at the University of Tampa Baseball Field.
The Golden Rams, making their first postseason appearance since 2018, entered the matchup with momentum after capturing the SIAC Championship title earlier this month. But despite a valiant effort, the Spartans' balanced offense and aggressive baserunning proved too much to contain in the opening round.
Tampa struck early in the bottom of the second, capitalizing on a passed ball to score their first run. A bases-loaded walk extended their lead to 2-0 before Albany State broke onto the scoreboard in the fourth. Senior
Xander Little delivered a clutch RBI single up the middle to bring home
Matt Delay, trimming the deficit to 2-1.
However, Tampa quickly answered with a wild sequence in the fourth, executing a delayed steal that resulted in a run on a failed pickoff attempt. The Spartans added three more runs in the fifth, highlighted by a two-RBI single from K. Karstette to make it 6-1.
Starter
Gercal Reyes (7-1) battled through 4.2 innings, allowing five hits and six runs (five earned) with four strikeouts. The Spartans added three more in the sixth and one final insurance run in the eighth to stretch their lead to 10-2.
Offensively,
Hill Corley added an RBI double in the seventh, scoring
Austin Roberts, while
Luke Addison also notched a hit and a run.
Despite the loss, Albany State (30-21) remains alive in the double-elimination format and will return to action on Friday, May 16 at 1:00 PM, where they face Lynn University in an elimination game.
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ABOUT ALBANY STATE ATHLETICS
Albany State University is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II-level intercollegiate athletic program. The university currently fields teams in 11 sports: women's volleyball, women's tennis, women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, softball, men's and women's track and field, women's soccer, baseball, and football. All teams compete in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), except women's soccer, which participates in the Peach Belt Conference.
