Savannah State pulled off a historic victory in dominating fashion, beating top-ranked Tampa 7-0. Entering the game, Tampa had an 11-0 record and boasted the 2025 NCAA Division II national championship title.
But Savannah State was undeterred; entering with a 8-5 record, they took down the reigning national champion and made a statement that is reverberating around the college baseball world.
Savannah State broke the game open with timely offense across the middle and late innings, doing most of its scoring in the third, fourth, and eighth frames against Tampa.
The Tigers struck first in the third when Gavin Jusino opened the inning with a single to left. After a strikeout, Jayden Clark followed with another base hit, and Seth Stargell worked a walk to load the bases. Johan Sandoval then delivered with a single to left field, bringing home Jusino and Clark to give SSU an early 2–0 advantage.
Savannah State added to its lead in the fourth. Singles from Tyler Tucker and Jason Ramos, along with a walk drawn by Jusino, once again filled the bases. Kijani Clarington capitalized, lining a two-run single to left-center that scored Tucker and Ramos and pushed the Tigers’ lead to 4–0.
The score held steady until the eighth inning, when Savannah State created more separation. Julian Grier reached on a single, Ramos got aboard following a shortstop error, and Jusino was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Clarington’s fielder’s choice allowed Grier to cross the plate, and Clark followed with a double that drove in Ramos and Jusino, extending the margin to 7–0.
Clark paced the Tigers offensively with three hits and two RBI, while Clarington finished with three runs driven in. Sandoval added two RBI of his own, Tucker recorded a two-hit performance, and Jusino scored twice in the victory.
The victory stretched Savannah State’s winning streak to eight games, improving the Tigers to 9–5 overall.
