Mocs Season Ends in South Regional Title Game

TAMPA - Florida Southern saw its run in the NCAA Division II South Regional Tournament halted here Sunday afternoon as the 24th-ranked Moccasins fell 3-0 to top-ranked and region host Tampa in the championship game of the double elimination event at the UT Baseball Field.

The Mocs, who finished 3-2 in the event and finished as region runner-up for the first time since 2009, completed its 2014 campaign with a 35-19 record, while UT improves to 51-2 and advances to next weekend's Division II National Championships in Cary, N.C. Since falling 13-6 in the first game of a doubleheader on March 30 to the Mocs, the Spartans have won 21 straight games, including winning all four games in this weekend's South Regional Tournament.

FSC would've needed to defeat Tampa twice on Sunday to advance to the Division II Championship in Cary, while UT needed just one win to advance.

One day after recording 26 hits and scoring a total of 11 runs in its two elimination game wins over 11th-ranked Lynn (4-2) and 20th-ranked Alabama-Huntsville (7-2), the Mocs bats were silenced by UT's Trey Oest as the right-hander retired the first 13 Moccasin hitters in order before allowing a one-out double down the left field line in the fifth inning by redshirt sophomore rightfielder Dominic Brugnoni (St. Clair Shores, Fla.). After that hit, Oest (8-0 on the season), who was one of five UT players named the All-South Region Tournament Team, retied the final 15 Moccasin hitters in order. Oest finished the game with five strikeouts and recorded 12 fly ball outs in his 78 pitch performance.

Brugnoni was one of three Mocs to earn a spot on the All-South Region Tournament Team as senior first baseman Trey Vavra (Menomonie, Wis.) and junior centerfielder Keith Curcio (Sarasota, Fla.) were also selected on the 11 member team. In five games at the tournament, Brugnoni hit .333 with seven hits, two doubles and two RBIs, while Vavra recorded a .364 batting average as he had eight hits, scored four runs, hit three doubles and had 3 RBIs and Curcio hit .318 as he had seven hits, scored four runs, hit two triples and had five RBIs.

UT got all the offense it needed in the top of the first inning as the Spartans took advantage of two walks issued by sophomore hurler Ben Richardson (Orlando, Fla.), two hits and a Moccasin error to jump out to a 2-0 lead.

UT, who are the defending NCAA D-II National Champions, threatened again in the third inning as Tyler Ding, who was named the South Region Most Outstanding Player, reached on a single and Sean O'Brien followed with a double with one out, before Richardson got out of the jam by forcing Michael Danner to hit a grounder to senior second baseman Conor Szczerba (Titusville, Fla.) that allowed Szczerba to throw home to get Ding out and then Nick Tindall flew out to left to end the inning.

After the third inning, Richardson, who was pitching on just two days rest as he was the Mocs starter in its tournament opener on Thursday against seventh-ranked Delta State, retired nine of the next 11 Spartans he faced until running into trouble again in the seventh inning. For the game, Richardson (8-6) pitched 6.1 innings and allowed five hits and three runs (two earned runs), while walking two and fanning four.

In the seventh inning, the Spartans, who won its second consecutive South Region title and fifth in the last eight seasons, added an insurance run for Oest as they used a hit batsman and three consecutive hits off of senior reliever Nate Carter (Boca Raton, Fla.), including an RBI single up the middle by Tyler Ding, to push its lead to 3-0. Carter replaced Richardson after he struck out Orlando Rivera on a bunt attempt. UT pinch hitter Quinn Pippen greeted Carter with a single and Ding then followed with his RBI single up the middle and O'Brien then recorded a double. On Ding's single to center, Pippen was thrown out trying to go to third on the play.  

Carter, who made his 81st and final appearance on the mound as a Moc on Sunday, pitched the final 2.2 innings and allowed three hits and no runs. He finished the season with a 4-1 record and a 1.54 ERA and recorded a team-best eight saves. His 81 career appearances puts him third on the school's career appearance list, while his 20 career saves is also third on the Mocs all-time list.

UT finished the game with eight hits as O'Brien had three base knocks, including two doubles and Ding added two.

Joining Brugnoni, Curcio, Vavra, Oest and Ding on the All-South Region Tournament Team were UAH catcher Justin Riddle, UAH second baseman Ben Hall, UT shortstop Giovanny Alfonzo, UAH outfielder Conner McCain, UT designated hitter Stephen Dezzi and UT relief pitcher Kevin McNorton.

The Mocs 35 wins this season were most by the squad since the 2010 team finished with a 41-16 record, while its three victories in the South Regional Tournament pushed FSC's all-time NCAA Tournament record to 146-76. The 143 wins is most all-time in Division II, while FSC's 41 all-time tournament appearances is also the most all-time in D-II and fourth most all-time among all NCAA member institutions.

On the season, the Mocs finished with a .288 team batting average and recorded an SSC-leading 3.00 ERA. Four Moccasins finished with batting averages over .300 for the year as Brugnoni led the way with a .340 average, while eight pitchers recorded an ERA under 3.00.

Sunday's game also marked the final game for FSC's 11 seniors as the seniors on this year team were Carter, Szczerba, Vavra, shortstop Jimmy Correnti (Fort Myers, Fla.), pitcher Brian Johnson (Oldsmar, Fla.), pitcher Clay Chapman (Orlando, Fla.), leftfielder J.J. Downum (Land O'Lakes, Fla.), catcher Chris Kyser (Arlington, Va.), pitcher Reid Noah (Lakeland, Fla.), pitcher Nick Krolczyk (Coral Springs, Fla.) and pitcher Steven Burnham (Valrico, Fla.).