FORT LAUDERDALE—Barry University’s baseball team split a pair of games against the rival Sharks of Nova Southeaster Saturday taking game one 5-2 before dropping the series finale in an extra inning affair, 10-9.
Game One
Once again it was freshman Billy Atkins pitching like anything but a rookie for the Buccaneers. Atkins held the Sharks in-check in the early part of the game, retiring the first 11 batters of the game. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning the Sharks tied the game at one and continued to threat with the bases loaded.
The freshman battled back to retire the final batter of the inning and evade any further trouble.
Barry’s (20-11, 6-6 SSC) offense responded with four runs in the fifth to give Atkins some run support with three of the four runs scoring on some clutch two-out hitting.
Tyler Kellmann continued to drive in runs against Nova pitching, delivering a two-RBI double to plate Luis Arrizurieta and Sheehan Planas-Arteaga.
Atkins found himself in another tough jam in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Sharks loaded the bases with just one out. With the tying run at the plate, Atkins settled down and induced the inning-ending groundball double play turned by the middle infielders J.C. Cardenas and Adrian English to escape the jam.
It was Atkins’ (3-3) best start of the season as he scattered just five hits in seven innings allowed just one run and finished with five K’s to earn the win.
Joe Iorio entered in relief of Billy Atkins after starting the game as the designated hitter and allowed a leadoff walk and a grounder through the right side to begin the bottom of the eighth.
Coach Marc Pavao called on Tyler Petsch for the second consecutive game to slam the door shut on the Sharks.
Petsch held Nova to just one run in the inning and picked up a pair of strike outs as Barry maintained a 5-2 lead heading into the ninth inning.
In the ninth Petsch tossed a scoreless inning to seal the 5-2 victory. The right-hander finished with four K’s in two innings of work.
Zachary Westcott took the loss for the Sharks after 4.2 innings in which he allowed five runs.
The Buccaneers offense was led by Arrizurieta who collected a multi-hit game for the second straight day. Middle-infield combination of Adrian English and Cardenas also added a pair of hits each in the Bucs’ win.
Game Two
Trailing 1-0 in the second inning the Bucs got a pair of RBI singles from Iorio and Planas to take a 2-1 lead. Then, with runners on first and second and two outs, Arrizurieta roped a double into the left field corner to plate Iorio and Planas.
English got in on the rally with a liner over the head of the pitcher Mitchell Buerosse to drive in Arrizurieta and extend the lead to 5-1.
Nova got within a run in the third inning with a four run rally but Adrian English’s solo-homerun in the top of the fourth extended the Buccaneer lead to 7-5.
The back and forth ball game continued in the bottom of the fourth when the Sharks tied the game at seven with a two-run homer.
Joe Iorio entered the game with one out in the fourth in relief of Kevin Youst, who did not figure into the decision, and worked out of a tough situation to keep the game knotted at seven.
Youst allowed seven runs on five hits in 3.1 innings but did strike out four.
Called in to work the final out of the fifth inning of a 7-7 game, Tyler Kinley faced the Sharks’ hottest hitter, 2012 SSC Player of the Year Carlos Asuaje with the bases loaded.
Kinley got Asuaje to fly out to English on a 94 mph fast ball that jammed the junior shortstop to keep the game tied at seven.
Planas led off the sixth with a liner to left and Arrizurieta, looking to sacrifice Planas over, dropped a bunt down the first base line and avoided the tag to reach safely on the single.
Following a strikeout, Planas and Arrizurieta both advanced on a wild pitch but the catcher Ryan Woodrey sent an errant throw into leftfield and Planas scored standing up as Barry took an 8-7 lead.
A pair of infield singles from Kellmann and Cardenas loaded the bases for Slabach before Arrizurieta was thrown out at the plate attempting to score on a wild pitch.
Slabach was hit by a pitch and the Bucs loaded the bases once again, this time with two outs, for Tim Blackmon.
The Bucs stranded the three runners and missed a great opportunity to stretch their 8-7 lead.
The Sharks tied the game again in the bottom of the sixth with a homerun to right off the bat of Mike Melendez.
Wouldn’t you know it in this game that changed momentum so many times, Joe Iorio belted a homer off the top of the scoreboard in left to give Barry the lead once again, 9-8. Iorio, who re-entered in the DH spot after pitching in relief, delivered his second homerun of the season.
It was obvious that Nova would not go away easy and the Sharks started the inning with a leadoff walk. After a successful sacrifice bunt that resulted on both runners reaching safely, coach Pavao went to Tyler Petsch for the third time in the series.
Another sacrifice bunt advanced the tying run to third and the go-ahead run to second with one out.
Acevedo drew a walk and Asuaje stepped in to face Petsch with the bases loaded and the game on the line.
Asuaje delivered a sacrifice fly to center to tie the game at nine advancing both runners to second and third as well, but Petsch retired the following batter and it seemed inevitable the game would go into extras.
In the first extra frame Kellmann reached on an error, Tim Blackmon singled to right and pinch-hitter Jay Bellot was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs but the Bucs squandered another opportunity and all three runners were stranded.
Neither team scored in the eighth inning, it was in the bottom of the ninth that the Sharks delivered the walk-off single to take the series finale by a final score of 10-9.
Luis Arrizurieta and Joe Iorio each had three hits in the nightcap to lead the Bucs’ offense.
Barry returns to action on Thursday in a three-game home series against Tampa University. Live-stats and video broadcast will be available through the Barry University athletics website, GOBARRYBUCS.COM.