BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Lynn University baseball team opened Sunshine State Conference play Thursday afternoon against top-ranked Tampa, falling 6-0 at the Lynn Baseball Field. The Fighting Knights battled defensively and stayed within striking distance through the middle innings, but the No. 1 Spartans used timely hitting and late insurance runs to secure the victory. Lynn moves to 8-7 overall and 0-1 in SSC action with the series set to continue Saturday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Lynn starter Andrew Ravelo worked around a first-inning single, striking out two as the Spartans left a runner stranded
- Tampa broke through in the second with three singles, plating a run for a 1-0 lead
- Amaris Harrison recorded Lynn's first hit of the afternoon with a single in the second, but the Fighting Knights couldn't cash in
- In the third, Lynn's defense came up with a big sequence as the Spartans tried to score from third, cutting down the runner at the plate on a 1B-to-C-to-3B play to keep it a one-run game
- Jackson Tyer answered with a single in the bottom half, but Lynn was unable to move him around
- Tampa added to its lead in the fourth on a sacrifice fly, extending the margin to 2-0
- Later, Zackary Gonzalez entered in the sixth and delivered a clean frame, stranding a runner to keep Lynn within striking distance
- In the bottom half, Tyer singled again and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Justin Lopez, but Lynn couldn't push a run across
- Tampa capitalized in the seventh, using a hit batter and a single to plate two more runs and stretch the lead to 4-0
- Lynn mounted its best threat of the day in the bottom of the seventh as Jason Lashley and Ivan Herrera recorded back-to-back singles
- A sacrifice bunt by Harrison moved both into scoring position, but the Spartans escaped with consecutive strikeouts to end the rally
- Gonzalez spun a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts, keeping the deficit at four
- In the ninth, Tampa took advantage of a hit batter and wild pitch to score twice and extend the lead to 6-0
- Lynn showed late fight in the bottom of the ninth as Scout Simpson drew a walk and swiped both second and third, but the Spartans recorded the final outs to secure the win
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- As a team, Lynn was held to five hits in the 6-0 setback against Tampa
- The Fighting Knights recorded five singles and drew one walk on the afternoon
- Tyer led the way offensively, going 2-for-3 to account for nearly half of Lynn's hits
- Lashley, Herrera, and Harrison each added one hit for the Blue and White
- Simpson reached base via walk and swiped two bags, advancing into scoring position twice
- Lynn successfully executed two sacrifice bunts from Lopez and Harrison to move runners into scoring position
- On the mound, A. Ravelo (1-1) tossed 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs while keeping Lynn within striking distance
- Gonzalez provided three innings of relief, striking out four
- Defensively, Lynn committed no errors in the contest

UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights return to action tomorrow morning as they square off with the top-ranked Spartans in a series-closing doubleheader, set to kick-off at 11 a.m.