TAMPA, Fla. - A two-run lead turned into a three-run loss Friday afternoon as Spring Hill College was eliminated by Nova Southeastern, 6-3, in the NCAA Division II South Region 1 Tournament at University of Tampa Baseball Stadium.
The loss ends Spring Hill's season with a 29-23 record after winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Tournament and advancing to the program's first NCAA Division II Tournament in its first season of NCAA postseason eligibility.
Spring Hill  fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning on a Christian Demby double to score Garrett Wolforth on an unearned run, but answered with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth to go up 3-1.
Brennan Fontenot singled to start the fourth inning and was bunted over to second by
Daniel Rodriguez to set up a game-tying RBI double by
John Sklopan. After
Luke Dykes retired the side in the top of the fifth, Senior catcher
Spencer Miller homered to left to start the bottom of the fifth and put the Badgers in front, 2-1. Mason Bonnafons and
Grayson Williams delivered back-to-back one-out singles, followed by a fielder's choice and error to load the bases with one out. Rodrigueze drove a pitch up the middle to score Bonnafons. Williams was thrown out at the plate by centerfielder Samuel Duran. The Badgers left two runners on base in the inning, two of 11 left on for the game.
Spring Hill saw its lead disappear in the top of the sixth with two long ball bombs by Nova Southeastern hitters. After Andrew Labosky singled to start the sixth, Wolforth hit a two-run home run to right to tie the game. Demby followed in the next at bat with a solo shot to left center for a 4-3 lead. Labosky and Demby led Nova with three hits each in the game.
The Badgers had the bases juiced in the bottom of the sixth and seventh before a double play and strike out ended both innings, respectively, with five runners left on base. Â
Duran singled in a run in the eighth and Demby added a RBI single in the ninth to stretch the lead, 6-3.
Bonnafons, Williams, Fontenot and Sklopan each hit 2-for-5 for the Badgers, which out hit Nova, 11-10. Rodriguez, Miller and Joe Guidry each had one hit.
Dykes (5-1) was charged with the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) off six hits and a walk through five innings. He struck out three.
Fontenot finishes the season as the Badgers' top hitter with a .398 average, 56 runs scored and 55 RBI. Rodriguez finishes the year with a .365 average and 61 RBI. Bonnafons (.338), Sklopan (.308) and Williams (.303) all hit above .300 for SHC.
Nova Southeastern (33-16) faced West Florida in an elimination game Friday night in a rematch of Thursday's opening round game, which UWF won, 5-4. The winner will meet Tampa in the region final Saturday.
