MELBOURNE, Fla. -- Barry's baseball team split a doubleheader with Florida Tech Saturday, losing the first game, 15-12, and winning, 10-3, in the nightcap.In the first game, the Buccaneers (19-17, 3-9 Sunshine State Conference) nearly pulled off an improbable comeback before falling short in a slugfest as both teams combined for 27 runs and 28 hits. The Panthers (22-15, 6-9) outscored the Bucs, 10-1, in the first seven innings before the Bucs made a furious late-game rally. In the eighth, Barry stormed back with nine runs behind RBIs from
Scott Cosculluela,
Ryan Baldwin,
Julian Abreu,
Frank Gonzalez and a home run to left field by
Alexander DeGoti.
The Bucs added another run in the top of the ninth, however FIT put together a comeback of its own in its final at-bat, scoring five runs which culminated in a three-run walk-off homer.
FIT closer Colin Cristello earned his first win of the year, mopping up for the final two outs. Barry closer
Daniel Broeseker fell to 2-3 after working the final inning in which he recorded one strikeout.
In the second game, the Bucs blew the Panthers out, pounding 12 hits and using a five-run sixth inning to open the floodgates. After the Panthers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, the Bucs scored two runs off a
Frank Gonzalez RBI double that brought in
Ryan Baldwin and
Khalil Denson. Florida Tech tied the game in the fourth before Barry took the lead for good the following inning when Gonzalez trotted home after a
Mike Diaz single. In the fifth, the Bucs tacked on five runs on a Gonzalez sacrifice RBI, an Alfreddi Ramos RBI single and a
Jonathan Quintana three-run home run to left field.
Barry added two more runs in the eighth on a Ramos sac fly and an Abreu RBI single up the middle.
Bucs starter
Jonathan Hernandez improved to 5-0 after giving up two earned runs on five hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.
Adrian Benitez earned his first save of the year after fanning five and surrendering just one hit in the final 3 2/3 innings to close the door. Tech starter Justus Labigang (2-1) suffered his first loss in three decisions, following a five-inning, three-run, one-walk, three-strikeout appearance.
Up next for Barry is a midweek contest versus Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
