MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—The Barry Buccaneers clubbed their way past the Merrimack Warriors 21-11 at Feinbloom Field on Monday night.
The Bucs (10-8) clubbed 15 hits and took advantage of 11 walks, three hit batters and seven Warrior errors to score a season-high 21 runs. Every Buccaneer starter either scored or drove in a run.
The Bucs did most of their damage in the first three innings. Merrimack starter Joe Velozo (0-1) failed to record an out, facing eight batters in the first inning, before being relieved. Greg Brodzinski and Ryan Baldwin each had RBI singles, while Jonathan Quintana drove in two with a double.
In the second, Brodzinski smacked a two-out solo homer and Quintana and Baldwin each drove in a run.
The game got a little out of hand in the third inning for the Warriors (4-1). The Bucs sent 14 men to the plate, scoring eight runs on just two hits. The Warriors committed three errors, issued four walks and hit three batters. Frank Gonzalez and Ramon Valdez each had RBI singles.
The Warriors got on a little run of their own in the middle innings, scoring six straight in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Ross Thibeault broke the string with a sacrifice fly to score Scott Cosculluela in the sixth.
The Bucs tacked on the final four runs in the seventh inning. Brodzinski had an RBI double, while Christian Khawley capped the scoring with a two-run double, which made the score 21-6.
The Bucs struggled a bit in the eighth inning, giving up five runs, four unearned, on four hits and two Buccaneer errors.
Jonathan Hernandez (2-2) picked up the win. He went five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits. He walked three and struck out six. After Jesse Montalto worked 2.2 innings, allowing seven runs (one earned) on seven hits and two walks, Quintana, who also played first base and right field in the game, closed out the contest with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief on one hit and one walk. Velozo took the loss for the Warriors. He face eight batters, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks. Colin Smith worked 4.0 innings for the Warriors, allowing four runs (one earned) on one hit and four walks.
Brodzinski led the Bucs going 4-for-5 with a single, double, homer, four runs and three RBI. Quintana was 2-for-6 with three runs scored and four RBI. Baldwin, Gonzalez, and Valdez all had two hits. Frank Crinella, Tyler Lyne and Bobby Losano each had three hits for Merrimack, who out-hit the Bucs 16-15.
The teams get back together on Wednesday, Mar. 11 at 6:00 pm for a re-match. The Warriors play at Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday.
