CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College baseball team rallied with four unanswered runs as it defeated the No. 2 University of Tampa on Saturday, March 4. MC improves to 6-11 on the season while the Spartans fall to 12-3.
 
With the bases loaded and one down in the ninth, Cody Crifasi lifted a sacrifice fly into left field as Jaron Harris tagged at third base. The Mobile, Ala., product out ran the throw home as he crossed the dish to give the Choctaw the come-from-behind win. MC loaded the bases using a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch.
 
The victory is the second in the last three meetings between the NCAA Division II South Region members and tied the three-game, weekend series at 1-1. The series finale is set for Sunday, March 5. First pitch at Noon.
 
Kolby McWilliams led the team at the plate with a pair of hits as the team totaled six on the day. Caleb Reese and Jordan Rollins joined Crifasi with RBI in the affair.
 
UT held a 3-0 lead through six and half frames as it jumped on the board early with two runs in the second inning and another run in the top of the sixth, but it was the final run of the game for the Red and Black.
 
Reese broke the scoreless streak for the Blue and Gold as he delivered his team-best ninth home run of the season over the left field wall to cut into the deficit. Following a scoreless seventh, the Choctaw tied the game in the eighth with a pair of runs.
 
After Crifasi scored on a throwing error to cut the margin to one run, Rollins delivered an RBI-single to left field that plated Reese to deadlock the contest at 3-all.
 
Brandon Gardner (1-0) picked up his first win of the season as the Brandon, Miss., native pitched the final frame and held the Tampa bats without a hit or run on seven pitches. Caleb Jacobs tossed 3.2 frames in the start as he allowed two runs on six hits with two walks and a strikeout. Kyle Collet tossed 4.1 frames in relief with a run surrendered on four hits with two walks and two punch outs.
 
Paul Sullivan (0-2) was tagged with the loss for the Red and Black as he allowed a run and hit in only two-thirds of an inning of relief. Anthony Nunez paced the Spartans at the dish with three hits. Nico Saladino drove a team-best two runs.
 
The win marks the second over a nationally ranked opponent on the week for the Blue and Gold as it topped No. 3 Southern Arkansas on Tuesday, 16-3, in seven innings.
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