MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University’s baseball team needed extra-innings to defeat the No. 5 ranked Panthers of Florida Tech University Wednesday night at Feinbloom field with a 14-13 walk-off finish.
No. 18 Barry (13-2) continued to ride a streak of hot-hitting as the Bucs have scored 10 or more runs in six of their last seven games. However, Wednesday night’s victory came with plenty of dramas as both teams exchanged leads both early and late.
Florida Tech (12-2) jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Barry countered with four runs in the bottom half of the first and followed up with three more in the second to take a 7-5 lead. Sheehan Planas-Arteaga belted a two-run homer to right and Adrian English followed with a solo-shot over the center-field wall to cap a three run outburst in the second.
Nate Greeves, who started the game, pitched 2.2 innings, but struggled to get out of the third and Joe Iorio entered the game in relief of the young southpaw.
Iorio was one of the main reasons the Bucs were able to come back in this game. The right-hander worked 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball and struck out three to shutdown the Panther’s offense and left the game with Barry on to 10-8.
Barry added another insurance run in the seventh and led 11-8, but the Panthers fought back once again to tie the game at 11 with a three run rally in the top of the eighth inning.
Florida Tech gifted the Bucs the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth as Luis Rios-Reyes crossed the plate on a wild-pitch, but the lead was short-lived. The Panthers countered with two runs in the top of the ninth to regain the lead 13-12.
Tyler Petsch (1-1) entered the game with the game in the ninth tied with the bases loaded and no outs. The first batter that Petsch faced would reach on an error, but that didn’t rattle the veteran reliever. Instead Petsch struck out the next two batters and induced an infield pop-out to work his way out of the jam.
Planas-Arteaga led off the bottom half of the ninth with a single through the right-side and Adrian English reached second base when a double play attempt resulted in Planas being forced out at second, but an errant throw to first allowed English to advance into scoring position. Tyler Kellmann delivered the game-tying RBI with a single through the right side and the game would head into extra innings.
Petsch worked a scoreless tenth and struck out the side and with two outs in the bottom of the frame J.C. Cardenas and Brendan Shaw connected on back-to-back doubles. Shaw’s drive to right drove in Cardenas and the Buccaneers celebrated at home plate in walk-off fashion.
Planas-Arteaga led the Bucs offensively with a perfect 4-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI night. Shaw, English, Kelmman and Greg Brodzinski each finished with multi-hit games as the 2-6 hitters combined to go 13-for-22 with 3 homers and 10 RBI for the Bucs.
Petsch picked up the win in relief, tossing two scoreless innings and finished with five K’s.
The Bucs have won eight straight, five of which have come at home. It was the Buccaneers first win over a ranked opponent this season.
Up next for the Bucs awaits the University of Mary on Sunday in the Palm Beach Challenge in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Live-stat coverage will be available through Barry University’s athletics website, GOBARRYBUS.COM.