HUNTSVIELL, Ala. – Barry University’s baseball team split a pair of games against Alabama-Huntsville Saturday night falling in game one, 13-3, before winning the nightcap in extra innings, 4-2.
Game One
Barry (9-4, 1-2 SSC) scattered ten hits in the first game of the double-header but it was the Chargers offense that was able to capitalize with some timely hitting.
The No. 19 ranked Chargers (11-3) jumped out in front in the first inning on Vincent Kortbawi’s three-run home run.
Barry answered with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth but a five-run Charger rally in the sixth was enough to break the game open.
Adrian English continued his tear with three doubles in the first game of the series. The junior finished 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Tyler Kellmann also belted three hits and Michael Slabach added a pair of hits to lead the Bucs offensively.
Game Two
In game two the Bucs and Chargers found themselves in a pitching duel and the Buccaneers sent freshman Billy Atkins to the mound.
Atkins (1-1) held the Charger offense to just one hit through the first four innings, in one of his best performances on the season.
Barry got the scoring going early with a run in the first inning to give Atkins a 1-0 lead. Luis Arrizurieta’s RBI single to right to plate Sheehan Planas-Arteaga gave Barry the lead.
Neither team scored in the next four innings. In the fifth inning, Atkins ran into a little trouble as the Chargers scored a pair of runs to take a 2-1 lead.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Atkins was able to get Conner McCain to ground out, keeping the Bucs in the game and limiting the damage in a critical part of the game.
Atkins allowed just two runs in five innings and finished with 3 K’s but did not figure into the decision.
Trailing by a run and down to their final out, Arrizurieta sparked a Bucs’ rally with a leadoff single to begin the seventh.
After a wild pitch, Kellmann’s ground ball to the right side advanced Arrizurieta to third. Following a strike out, Zac Burger stepped into the box with the opportunity to tie the game and the freshman rose to the occasion.
Burger drove a hard groundball that deflected off the pitcher, Cody Barrett, but the hard-hit ball was enough to drive-in Arrizurieta.
Adrian Benitez (2-0) pitched the sixth and seventh innings while holding the Chargers scoreless. In the seventh inning with the game-winning run in scoring position Benitez struck out the side to keep the Bucs in the ball game.
All of the momentum seemed to shift in the Bucs’ direction as Barry capitalized on defensive miscues to score a pair of runs in the extra inning.
Kellmann capped off the two-run rally with an RBI single to center to give Barry a 4-2 lead.
Tyler Petsch retired the side in order with three K’s to earn the save (1).
Planas finished the game 3-for-4 to lead the Bucs’ offense.
English extended his hit streak to 13 straight games with a single up the middle in game two. Alabama-Huntsville’s Kortbawi extended his hit streak to 32 consecutive games dating back to last season with a single in the second inning.
Barry is scheduled to play a pair of games on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. eastern time as they wrap up the weekend series against Alabama-Huntsville.
Live-stat and audio broadcast is available through the Barry University athletics website, GOBARRYBUCS.COM