Tampa, Fla. – While holding leads in both games, Lynn University's 10th-ranked baseball team would fall 8-7 (10 innings) and 11-7 in Saturday's doubleheader with No. 8 Tampa.  Five different players went deep for the Fighting Knights, who drop to 28-10 overall and 11-7 in Sunshine State Conference play.

Free passes and errors contributed to Lynn's woes in game one with seven walks, two batters hit and four errors.  The Spartans (27-11, 9-6 SSC) was able to score its first run off a Blue & White miscue in the third but surrendered a run in the fourth following the first of their six misplays.

Scoring ramped up in the seventh as the two squads combined for 12 runs in the final four frames.  Lynn tied the game 2-2 off a Kyle Carter sac fly only to give the lead up to Tampa in the home half with two runs.  Matt Ackerman then cut the deficit to one, 4-3, with a two-out RBI single to score Albert Lefran.

Tampa tacked on two more runs in the seventh but the Fighting Knights scored four in the eighth, three of which came off a home run from Ben Schwanburg, to move ahead 7-6.  Another Lynn error, though, helped the Spartans send the game into extra innings.  

The Fighting Knights had an opportunity to take the lead but a suicide squeeze attempt turned into a double-play to end their tenth.   Nick Tindall ended things with a solo home run to lea-doff the bottom of the inning.

Travis Connolly had a descent outing on the bump, tossing 6.1 innings and allowing three runs, one earned, on three hits and five strikeouts but also four walks.  The bullpen had difficulty with five runs on five hits and three walks.

Lynn brought the thunder in the second game, jumping out to a 4-0 lead after three innings.  Carter drove in the first of his two runs with a RBI infield single in the first, Matt Tietz followed with a solo jack, his sixth of the year, in the second and Thomas Kain belted a two-run blast in the third.

Tampa scored one in the third but Michael Stemle earned the run back with a solo home run in the fourth.  Unfortunately, the Spartans used the long ball in their favor with two home runs in the fifth to tie the game 5-5.

Catcher's interference and a botched fielder's choice led to Lynn retaking the lead, 6-5, but Tampa scored twice in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to pull away.  A Carter solo home run in the ninth capped the scoring at 11-7.

Max Watt allowed five runs, four earned off six hits in five innings before ceding the mound to Jimmy O'Neill and Kyle Schindler.

The Fighting Knights are back in action on Wednesday, April 15, at 3 p.m. when they host Ave Maria.  Fans can watch the action live at LynnFightingKnights.com and receive in-game updates by following @Lynn_Knights on Twitter and Instagram.