TAMPA, Fla. – Slippery Rock University scored early and late but got outscored in the middle innings Wednesday night to drop a 10-6 decision to hosting Tampa in a battle of nationally-ranked NCAA Division II baseball teams.

As a result of some stellar defensive plays in back-to-back innings, SRU (6-5) held a 2-1 lead after four and half innings before Tampa took its first lead of the game.

A two-run Spartans' rally in the bottom of the fifth gave the hosts a 3-2 edge and began a string of nine straight runs scored by Tampa (13-5).

Down by a 10-2 score, The Rock scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning to trim the margin to four runs but could not make up the difference.

The loss was SRU's fifth in the last six games and dropped the Green and White's season record to 6-5.

The Rock returns to action at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, when they will take Ashland (Ohio) University in a doubleheader in Lakeland, Fla.

Sophomore third baseman Jamison Walck and junior right fielder Derek Carr each had two hits and two RBIs to key an 11-hit Rock offensive attack. One of Walck's hits was a solo home run that accounted for the first run of the game.

Freshman right-hander #J.J. Paskert suffered the loss in relief of Rock senior starting pitcher Rich Hocanson#.

Paskert yielded four earned runs on three hits and walked three in one and two-thirds innings after Hocanson allowed one unearned run of five hits, struck out two and walked four in the first four frames.

The Rock took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on Walck's home run.

Tampa came right back with a run on two hits in the bottom of the second to tie the score at 1-1.

The Rock responded with a run in the top of the third on a bases-loaded, one-out sacrifice fly by senior center fielder Matt Howard.

The Spartans threatened to retie the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the third inning, but the threat was nixed when Rock junior right fielder Derk Carr gunned a runner down at the plate who was trying to score from second base on a single.

The Rock defense again shut down a potential Tampa rally in the bottom of the fourth.

Junior catcher Matt Accardi gunned down a runner trying to steal second base for the first out of the inning. That putout proved to be crucial since Tampa got the next two runners on base via a walk and a misplayed fly ball to put another runner in scoring position.

Freshman second baseman Lee Foxton snuffed out that scoring threat with a diving stop on a ground ball back up the middle. The play and Foxson's subsequent scamper to the second-base bag for the second out, forced Tampa's lead runner to remain at third base. Two batters later, Hocanson induced an inning-ending foul popup to slam the door on the Tampa threat and preserve The Rock's 2-1 lead.

SRU was unable to snuff out a third straight Tampa scoring threat as the hosts scored two runs to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth. The tying and go-ahead runs scored after an errant throw on a potential inning-ending double-play opportunity.

The Spartans expanded their lead to 5-2 with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, keyed by a two-run home run by Eric Grabe, and then exploded for five runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Down by a 10-2 score, The Rock scored four times in the top of the eighth to trim the margin to four runs. Key hits in the rally were a two-run single by Carr and RBi singles by Walck and junior designated hitter Matt Kosik.