MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—Barry University’s baseball team continued their strong start in conference play Friday night as they took the first of a three game set versus Florida Southern 7-5.
The Bucs (13-10, 6-1 SSC) took advantage of some costly errors by the Mocs and capitalized with some timely hitting in route to their fourth win in their last five games.
Barry jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after James Young homered for the second time in as many days, this time with the bases loaded. After four early runs in the second, the Bucs struggled to get anything going offensively during the middle innings, but Brad McAllister kept the Moccasin’s bats quiet for most of the night.
McAllister (3-0) scattered seven hits in six innings of work and allowed just one unearned run to earn the win. The veteran right-hander has had a phenomenal season thus far after missing nearly all of 2011 due to injury.
The Mocs(14-11, 5-5 SSC) threatened in the seventh after Colin Kish reached on an error to lead things off followed by three consecutive singles to break-up the shutout.
Calvin Rayburn came in relief of McAllister and faced a bases loaded situation with no outs, but he was more than up to the task. Rayburn retired the next three hitters in order to work out of the jam and maintain a 7-1 lead when it looked like Florida Southern was turning the momentum.
Rayburn worked two innings of relief without allowing a run, hit or walk and also struck out two.
The Mocs made things interesting in the top of the ninth, scoring four runs in the frame. However, T.J. Mullins was brought in to close the door and picked up his fourth save of the year in doing so.
Florida Southern out-hit the Bucs 11 to five but it was the combination of three costly errors and the bases loaded blast off the bat of James Young that made the difference.
Young finished the night going 3-for-4 with four RBI to lead the Buccaneer charge. Adrian English was the only other Buc to collect a hit, finishing 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Matt Fugglesang (4-2) was tagged with the loss allowing seven runs, four earned, in five innings of work.
With the victory Barry remains a top the SSC standings as they look to wrap up the three game series against the Mocs with a doubleheader on Saturday.
First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m. at Feinbloom field, with live-stat and audio broadcast available through the Barry University athletics website, GOBARRYBUCS.COM.