Staff report

TAMPA, Fla.  — Chance Bowden caused some excitement with a game-tying, two-run homer in the sixth inning, but Catawba’s baseball team still lost on Tuesday at nationally second-ranked Tampa.

Tampa iced a 9-5 victory with three runs in the bottom of the eighth and improved to 13-3.

The teams were opponents in the finals of the Division II World Series in Carey in 2015, with Tampa prevailing for the the national championship.

Catawba (8-12) trailed, 3-0, in the early going. Jacob Nester singled up the middle in the top of the fifth inning and scored on a wild pitch to put the first run on the board for the Indians.

With Catawba trailing, 4-1, in the sixth, Kyle Smith, who is batting .372, singled home Lee Poteat, who had doubled. Then Bowden, swinging at the first pitch, connected on a two-run shot, his fifth homer of the season, for a 4-all tie.

The euphoria didn’t last long. After a leadoff walk in the sixth, Danny Sirven clubbed a two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning to put Tampa right back on top.

Catawba got a run back in the top of the seventh frame when Nester scored on another wild pitch, but that was the half-inning that did the Indians in. Catawba had two critical strikeouts at the plate, left runners at second and third, and still trailed, 6-5.

Then Tampa struck for three in the eighth. Sirven doubled  in front of a two-run homer by Nick DeTringo. Then Tampa tacked on one more run with aggressive base-running to lead, 9-5.

Catawba had six hits. Nester was the only Indian with two safeties.

Catawba used six pitchers. Caleb Link walked the leadoff man in the decisive sixth and took the loss. Clay Young relieved Link and allowed the big homer to Servin. DeTringo’s blast in the eighth came off Riley Myers. Bryan Ketchie started and pitched three innings.