Junior righty Darin Wiltgen (Reno, Nev.) pitched 7 2/3 masterful innings Saturday afternoon, but it was not enough as the No. 30 Georgia College baseball team (2-5) was swept by the No. 5 University of Tampa Spartans (6-0) by a score of 1-0 at John Kurtz Field.
The junior righty was sensational in his second start for the Bobcats, giving up just one unearned run on four hits in 7 2/3 innings of work. Wiltgen (1-1) also tallied six strikeouts compared to just one walk.
Junior Taylor Hart (Colbert, Ga.) closed the game out for the 'Cats, going 1 1/3 innings allowing just a pair of hits while striking out two.
The GC offense struggled for much of the day due in large part to an outstanding effort from Spartan hurlers Ben O'Shea and Eric Luksis, who combined to give up just one hit in the shutout.
Junior Travis Echols (Suwanee, Ga.) picked up the lone hit for Georgia College, ripping a single through the left side in the bottom of the ninth to get a late rally started. Unfortunately, Tampa would turn a double-play to finish off any threat of a Bobcat comeback.
Newcomer Bryce Williams (Manhattan, Kan.) made a sensational play in right field to help out the defense, crashing and flipping over the right field fence along foul territory to come up with a web gem in the first inning.
Georgia College will look to regroup when they host Clark Atlanta University Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. for a doubleheader.