TAMPA, Fla. — Davenport baseball secured an 8-5 victory over No. 3 Tampa (19-4) on Sunday to conclude the four-game series with the Spartans. Davenport's decisive six-run eighth inning, highlighted by a Cam Johnson two-RBI single, propelled it to the win. Despite the Spartans' early lead, the Panthers' offense capitalized on two errors to clinch the victory.

Davenport fell behind early as Tampa scored first in the second inning. Jake Books scored on a single by Jesse Ponce, putting the Spartans ahead, 1-0, through two innings.

In the third inning, Tampa extended its lead to 2-0 when Brayden Woodburn scored on a sacrifice fly by Jordan Evans. Davenport remained scoreless through three innings.

Aidan Arbaugh's first home run of the season put the Panthers on the board in the fifth, making it 2-1. However, the Spartans responded in the bottom half, scoring once more to maintain a 3-1 lead through five innings.

Travis Liford's RBI double in the sixth narrowed the gap to 3-2, but Tampa added two more runs in the bottom of the inning, extending its lead to 5-2.

Davenport's offense erupted in the eighth inning. Dylan Pawenski scored on a balk, followed by Cam Johnson's two-RBI single. Johnson later scored after Parker Neel reached on an error. Sam Clay and Wyatt Epple each contributed with singles, and Justin Johnson capped the inning with an RBI single. This offensive burst gave the Panthers an 8-5 lead through eight innings.

Davenport held Tampa scoreless in the ninth, securing an 8-5 victory with a strong comeback performance. The Spartans had a runner on third with two outs when storms hit the area and forced the game to be completed.

Easton Remick pitched four innings, allowing three runs on three hits, with two strikeouts and six walks. Despite some control issues, Remick's effort included 77 pitches, of which 36 were strikes. Gabe Helder contributed 1 1/3 innings, yielding two earned runs without allowing a hit. Brandon Skorupski delivered 2 2/3 scoreless innings, with four hits and two strikeouts, securing his second win of the season. Gage Vota closed the game with 2/3 of an inning, recording his first save and striking out one.

Clay posted a strong performance with three hits, exceeding his season average of 1.24, and an RBI, contributing to the team's offense while also recording six assists in the field. Justin Johnson matched Clay's hitting prowess, collecting three hits, surpassing his season average of 1.71, and driving in one run. Arbaugh made a significant impact by hitting a home run, which contributed to his one run scored and one RBI. Cam Johnson added to the team's scoring by securing two hits, two RBIs, and a stolen base.

Looking ahead, Davenport will host Roosevelt in the GLIAC and home opener at 3 p.m. on Friday in Caledonia, Mich.