Tampa, Fla. – Lynn University closed out the 2013 baseball season with 12-6 and 13-7 doubleheader losses to sixth-ranked Tampa on Saturday afternoon.  Jason Matusik went 4-for-8 with a home run, four runs scored and five runs driven in while also tossing a scoreless inning on the mound.  Paul Stortini and Mike Gonzalez also added three RBI.  The Fighting Knights end the year with a 30-20 overall mark and 13-11 record in Sunshine State Conference play.

Things went south in the first inning of game one when LU hit three batters and walked in a run to give Tampa (39-10, 19-5 SSC) a 1-0 lead.  The Spartans would go on to score three more until the Blue & White added a run in the fifth with a Gonzalez RBI single.

Lynn took a 6-5 lead in the sixth when it scored five runs.  Matusik started LU's run with a two-run shot to right center field while Gonzalez followed three batters later with a RBI double.  Stortini then put the Fighting Knights on top with a two-out, two-run double to the left center gap.

The Spartans' offense proved too much as they would respond with three runs in the bottom half of the inning and tack on four more in the seventh and eighth frames to claim the 12-6 victory.

Tampa took advantage of some wildness and an error in the opening inning of game two, to jump out to a 7-0 lead.  Lynn closed the gap to 7-4 in the third with RBI base knocks by Alex Freedman and Matusik.

Two runs in each of the next three innings pushed the game out of reach.  The Blue & White looked to close the gap in their final game of the season and did that with three runs in the sixth off RBI singles from Elasik and Joey Sharkey.  

Matsuik then came to the mound in the bottom of the sixth to pitch in his first collegiate game.  The senior walked the first batter and surrendered a double but induced consecutive pop fly's before striking the final batter.

Lynn returns 16 starters in 2014, including four field starters and one starting pitcher.