Mocs Extend Win Streak to Four Straight, Open SSC Play With Victory at Barry

MIAMI SHORES - Florida Southern extended its win streak to four straight games here Friday evening as the Moccasins opened Sunshine State Conference play with a 10-7 victory over 10th-ranked Barry in the opener of a three-game weekend series at Feinbloom Field.

With the victory, the Mocs improve to 13-6 overall on the season and 1-0 in the SSC, while Barry fell to 14-4 overall and 0-1 in the SSC. The win was FSC's fourth straight over a nationally-ranked foe as they two games last weekend at then 12th-ranked Mount Olive and then earned a 7-6 win at home on Wednesday against seventh-ranked Grand Valley State.

In Friday's series opener against the Buccaneers, the Mocs recorded 12 hits, including three hits apiece from senior second baseman Conor Szczerba (Titusville, Fla.) and junior third baseman Chris Dennis (Rockledge, Fla.) and scored six runs in the fifth to come back from a 5-3 deficit to take a 9-5 lead.

Barry jumped in front 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning as Branden Shaw drilled a 2-0 pitch from senior Clay Chapman (Orlando, Fla.) over the right field wall for his fifth home run of the season to give the Buccaneers a 1-0 lead. Barry, though, would leave the bases loaded in the innings, though, as Chapman struck out Ramon Valdez to end the inning without allowing any more runs.

The Mocs used the long ball in the top of the second inning to tie the game as Dennis hit his first home run of the season down the right field line and took a 2-1 lead three batters later as senior leftfielder J.J. Downum (Land O'Lakes, Fla.) delivered a run scoring single to center that plated junior catcher Joey Miller (Sarasota, Fla.), who walked following Dennis' homer and moved to second when redshirt sophomore rightfielder Dominic Brugnoni (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) fouled out to left field.

Barry, though, would tie the game in the bottom of the third inning on an RBI single to left by Greg Brodzinski off of Chapman.

FSC would retake the lead in the top of the fourth inning thanks to an RBI triple by Brugnoni. Brugnoni's first triple of the season plated Miller, who had reaced on a two-out single to left.

The Bucs would once again come back and take the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as they recorded two hits and scored three runs to take a 5-3 lead. The big hit in the inning was a 2-run single by Tyler Kellman off of Chapman.  

FSC would break the game open in the top of the fifth inning as they used four hits and took advantage of a Barry error to score six runs and take a 9-5 lead. In the inning, senior first baseman Trey Vavra (Menomonie, Wis.) got the scoring started with his RBI single up the middle and Dennis followed with a single through the right side to score the Mocs second run of the inning. Miller drove home FSC's third run with his infield single and Brugnoni followed Miller with an RBI single through the right side to give the Mocs a 7-5 lead. The next two runs were unearned as a throwing error by Barry third baseman Adrian English allowed Miller to score from third base and Brugnoni would score the sixth run on a wild pitch from Barry reliever Tyler Petsch, who relieved Buccaneer starter Billy Atkins following Dennis' single earlier in the fifth inning.

The Bucs would get two of those runs back in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to two singles, a sacrifice fly, a wild pitch and a passed ball to drop FSC's lead to 9-7.

Barry had a scoring opportunity in the seventh as Denson drew a one-out walk from freshman reliever Craig Savage (Apopka, Fla.) and moved to second on a single up the middle by Carlos Matamoros, before Savage would respond by retiring the next two Buc hitters in order to keep the score at 9-7.

The Mocs got some insurance in the ninth inning as Dennis led off the inning with a double, moved to third on a ground out by Miller and scored on an RBI groundout to first by Downum to give the Mocs a three-run cushion.

In the bottom of the ninth, Mocs second-year coach Lance Niekro gave the ball to Nate Carter (Boca Raton, Fla.) to close out the game and he did just that as after allowing a lead-off single to Brodzinski and hitting Valdez to put runners on first and second, the senior reliever would strike out the next three Barry hitters in order to preserve his third save of the season and 15th of his collegiate career.

Savage (3-0), who relieved Chapman in the fifth inning, earned the win as he pitched 2.1 innings and allowed just two hits, while walking one and striking out two. Chapman earned a no-decision as he threw 4.2 innings and allowed 10 hits and seven runs (five earned), while walking four and striking out four.

In addition to the three hits from both Dennis and Szczerba, Miller and Brugnoni finished the night with two hits apiece and combined to score four runs and drive in three runs. Downum also added two RBIs and Dennis scored three runs in the win.

The Bucs recorded 13 hits on the night as English, Kellman, Brodzinski and Matamoros each had two hits in the loss.

Atkins (2-2) took the loss for the Bucs as he threw 4.2 innings and allowed eight hits and seven runs, all of which were earned, and recorded two walks and had no strikeouts. Petsch threw 2.2 innings and allowed three hits and two unearned runs, while walking three and striking out one.

On the night, the teams left a combined 20 runners on base as FSC stranded eight runners and Barry left 12 on the base paths.

The two teams will conclude the three-game weekend series with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March. 8.