MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University’s baseball team rallied to force extra innings Friday night, but fell to the No. 4 Sharks of Nova Southeastern, 3-2, in ten innings in a matchup of Sunshine State Conference rivals.
Barry (16-7, 0-4 SSC) entered the game as one of the most potent offenses in all of Division II, scoring just under nine runs per game, but the Bucs found themseleves in the middle of a pitchers’ duel Friday night.
Nova Southeastern (17-4, 4-3) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when they pushed a run across on Yandy Viera’ sacrifice fly to left.
Adrian Benitez delivered once again, as he has all season, striking out three in 5.2 innings of work and only permitting two runs, but did not figure into the decision.
Barry’s offense was held in-check through the first five innings by Sharks’ starter Roberto Baroniel (5-1), but in the bottom of the fifth inning the Bucs got on the board when J.C. Cardenas scored from second on a wild pitch and an errant throw over the third baseman Kavan Thompson’s head. Then with two outs and Adrian English on third, Greg Brodzinski delivered a game-tying RBI single to left center.
Joe Iorio, who entered the game in relief of Benitez in the sixth inning, tossed 3.2 innings and finished with five K’s while keeping the Bucs in the game through the middle innings.
The game went into extra innings after neither team scored in the final three innings. In the tenth, the Sharks got the leadoff man in scoring position when Alvin Swoope reached on a single and advanced on a throwing error.
Calvin Rayburn entered the game with the go-ahead run at third and one out. The right-hander was able to get Brooks Fleming to groundout with the infield drawn in, but Michael Hernandez delivered the blow with an RBI single up the middle to give the Sharks a 3-2 lead.
The Bucs put the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the bottom of the tenth inning, but the rally fell short as the Bucs dropped the series opener by a final of 3-2.
English led the way collecting three of the Bucs’ seven hits on the night. Barry and Nova are scheduled to play a pair of games on Saturday beginning at 1 pm with live-stat and video broadcast available through the Barry University athletics website, GOBARRYBUCS.COM.