CARY, N.C. – The eighth-seeded Angelo State baseball team saw its season come to an end after falling to second-seeded Tampa in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship on Saturday afternoon.
 
ASU jumped ahead early with a steal attempt by Tripp Clark forcing an errand throw to score Jacob Guerrero in the bottom of the first. The Rams added another run in the second with a sacrifice fly from Tayten Tredaway.
 
Both teams traded a run apiece in the fourth with the Spartans hitting an RBI single up the middle and the Rams responding with an RBI ground out from Blake Wilhoite.
 
Tampa took the lead in the sixth inning, scoring six runs, capped off by a two-RBI home run to take a 7-3 advantage.
 
Caleb Heuertz started on the bump for ASU, throwing five innings with five runs on six hits while striking out six batters.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, the Rams loaded the bases with two outs before a pop out ended the inning without a score.
 
Throwing in relief, Johnny Stacy pitched four innings, allowing three runs on five hits with a strikeout.
 
Tampa added a run in the top of the ninth on a solo shot to left field for the final run of the game.
 
ASU tallied three players on the All-Tournament team in Christian Garnette (OF), Kamden Kelton (3B), and Tripp Clark (C).
 
The Rams finish the season as the national runner up with a 44-21 overall record, becoming the first team since 2007 to appear in back-to-back NCAA Division II title games.