MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University’s baseball team split the final two games at Feinbloom field of the 2014 season as the Bucs defeated Eckerd, 8-0, in game one before dropping the series finale, 2-1, in an extra-innings affair.
Game One
Barry (28-18, 8-13 SSC) sent senior right-hander Calvin Rayburn to the mound and the Miami Shores native was sensational in perhaps his best performance of the season.
In the second, Barry scored three runs on just one hit to take the early lead. Adrian English and Tyler Kellmann started the inning with back-to-back walks. Following a wild pitch, Greg Brodzinski brought in the Bucs’ first run with a ground out that scored English. Branden Shaw was hit by a pitch and J.C. Cardenas followed with a sacrifice fly to drive in Kellmann for the second run of the game and Barry would add a third run on a balk to cap the rally.
Sheehan Planas-Arteaga belted a double to center in the third and Kellmann drove in Planas on a grounder to third in the third inning to increase the Bucs’ lead to 4-0.
The four runs were unnecessary for Calvin Rayburn (4-2) who was not only dominant, but efficient as well. Rayburn threw a complete-game shutout and only needed 86 pitches to do so.
Defensively the Bucs were spectacular and took advantage of the double-play ball to stall any sort of rally. Barry turned four double-plays in all behind Rayburn who did not allow a single runner to reach third base in the game.
Barry added three more runs in the fourth, two of which came on Carlos Matamoros’ single to right and the Bucs added another run in the fifth on another wild pitch.
Rayburn did not walk a batter, scattered seven hits and pitched to contact the entire game. His only strikeout came in the final out of the game when he struck out Mike Abraham looking.
Barry scored eight runs on just seven hits and took advantage of free passes, errors and wild pitches the entire game. Planas-Arteaga led the offense with a pair of hits and an RBI while Matamoros drove in two.
Game Two
After posting 23 runs in the first two games of the series, the Bucs found themselves in a pitchers’ duel in the series finale and in the middle of it all was senior Joe Iorio (3-4) for the Bucs.
Iorio seemed to be a bit nervous in his final home start of his career and with the bases loaded and two outs, walked a run in. However, Iorio bounced back to strikeout Matt MacMahon on three straight pitches to evade any more trouble.
After the first, Iorio settled in nicely and retired 13 of the next 14 batters, including 11 in a row at one point.
In 8.0 innings of work, Iorio allowed just two runs, one earned and struck out three.
However the Buccaneers’ offense was held in-check by the Tritons’ Jimmy Gatowski who scattered seven hits in 7.0 innings of work and allowed just one unearned run.
After Matamoros led off with a walk in the third inning and advanced to third base on a throwing error in an attempt to pick him off at first, Khalil Denson tied the game with an RBI double to right center.
The game remained 1-1, as the Bucs squandered several scoring opportunities in the latter innings, but Iorio remained in the game as it went into extras. In the top of the eighth, Iorio faced Lincoln Dunham with the bases loaded and two outs and Dunham shocked everyone by laying down a perfect bunt with the infield back to drive in the go-ahead run.
In the bottom half of the frame, the Bucs were unable to complete the comeback. The Tritons closer, Taylor Owens, loaded the bases and faced Greg Brodzinski with two outs and the potential winning run on second base, but Owens was able to get Brodzinski to ground out to end the threat and ensure the victory.
Barry honored the five members of the senior class; Joe Iorio, Tyler Kellmann, Tyler Petsch, Calvin Rayburn and Adrian English prior to the start of game one for their accomplishments on and off the field.
Barry is off next week as the student athletes prepare for final exams, but return to action on Sunday, May 4 in the final series of the regular season at Saint Leo.