TAMPA, Fla.—The Barry Buccaneers were swept by the third-ranked Tampa Spartans 13-5 and 8-4 at the UT Baseball Field on Saturday to close out the 2008 season.
Game one started out as an old-fashioned SSC slugfest, with the teams combining for nine runs in the first two innings. The Bucs (32-19, 11-13 SSC) got out on top in the first inning. Evan Ashley walked and stole second. John Servidio singled through the left side to plate Ashley and get the Bucs on the board.
The Spartans (38-9-1, 17-7 SSC) sent 10 men to the plate in the bottom of the first, scoring five runs. Jesus Barroso, Steven Broschofsky and Brett McKean all had RBI singles.
The Bucs continued the onslaught in the second inning. Mitch Rodriguez led off with a double and scored on a single by Yudelmis Hernandez. After a Chris Leon double put runners at second and third, Nick Shaw brought both runners home with a single up the middle to trim the lead to 5-4 in favor of the Spartans.
But after a couple of scoreless frames, the Spartans exploded for eight runs in the middle innings. In the fourth inning, Jose Jimenez had an RBI infield single and Nolan Brannon and McKean added sacrifice flies in a three-run frame. In the fifth, Tampa plated three more on a Jimenez sacrifice fly and a two-run double from Broschofsky. Paul Cruz added a two run homer in the sixth.
Manny Pedrozo had an RBI ground out in the fifth to score Ashley.
Bobby Riley (1-3) took the loss for the Bucs. In 4.1 innings, he allowed 11 runs (six earned) on 11 hits and five walks, while striking out one. John Weidenbauer (4-0) earned the win with five innings in relief of starter Josh Bowman who failed to go five innings. Weidenbauer allowed just one unearned run on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
In game two, the Bucs again jumped out on top in the first inning, but a four-run fifth inning propelled the Spartans to the win. Nolan Brannon had a two-run single and Casey Albanese a two-run double in the frame.
Shaw led off the first inning with a double for Barry and came in on a single by Frezza, part of a 4-for-4 game for the Buccaneer senior.
After the Spartans scored two in the bottom of the first, the Bucs briefly tied the game 2-2 in the third. Frezza led off with a double and scored ahead of a single by Joel Keefe.
But Tampa scored single runs in the third and fourth innings on RBI singles by Jimenez and Albanese respectively, before erupting in the fifth to go up 8-2.
Barry inched back in the sixth and seventh. Frezza had a single in the sixth to plate Shaw again and Carlos Gomez belted a solo homer in the seventh.
Aaron Main (7-6) was tagged with all eight runs in five innings of work to take the loss. He gave up 11 hits and three walks. Reliever Danny Keefe (2-0) worked 1.1 scoreless innings to get the win for Tampa. He scattered two hits and a walk before giving way to Anthony Perez who worked the final 2.2 innings to earn his 15th save.
The Bucs out-hit the Spartans in the series 36-34 and 14-11 in the final game. In addition to Frezza, Shaw had three hits and Gomez had two. Paul Cruz, Broschofsky and Albanese each had two hits for the Spartans.
(05/03/2008 at Tampa, Fla.)
(Game 1)
Tampa 13, Barry 5
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Barry................... 130 010 000 - 5 10 3 (32-18, 11-12 SSC)
Tampa............... 500 332 00X - 13 16 1 (37-9-1, 16-7 SSC)
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Pitchers: Barry - Bobby Riley; Julio Diez(5). Tampa - Josh Bowman; John Wiedenbauer(5).
Win-John Wiedenbauer(4-0) Loss-Bobby Riley(1-3) T-3:21
HR UTB - Paul Cruz (3).
Weather: Warm and Windy
(Game 2)
Tampa 8, Barry 4
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Barry................... 101 001 1 - 4 14 1 (32-19, 11-13 SSC)
Tampa............... 201 140 X - 8 11 0 (38-9-1, 17-7 SSC)
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Pitchers: Barry - Aaron Main; John Servidio(6). Tampa - Scott Chapman; Danny Keefe(4); Anthony Perez(5).
Win-Danny Keefe(2-0) Save-Anthony Perez(15) Loss-Aaron Main(7-6) T-2:25 A-310
HR BUB - Carlos Gomez (7).
Weather: Hot and humid