Boxscore

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Joel Keefe's two-run single to left field served as the game-winner on Tuesday evening as the Southern Connecticut State University baseball team gave up 10 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning as an 11-4 lead slipped away and became a 14-11 road loss to Barry in non-conference action at Feinbloom Field. Junior shortstop Mike Diaz (Monroe, Conn.) went 2-for-5 with a homerun, five runs batted in and two runs scored for SCSU in defeat. With the loss, SCSU falls to 9-7, while Barry improves to 17-9 with the victory.

Barry opened the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Nick Shaw led off with a double to right. Three batters later, John Servidio singled to left to drive home the game's first run. Keefe followed with a single up the middle to score Servidio and give Barry a 2-0 lead.

The Owls would take the lead with three runs in the top of the second inning. Freshman left fielder Andrew Babb (Hopkinton, Mass.) led off with a single to right field and moved to second two batters later on a single to center by junior first baseman Mo Davidson (Winsted, Conn.). After a walk loaded the bases, junior third baseman Chris Barile (Holbrook, N.Y.) singled down the left field line, driving home two runs and pushing a runner to third base. Diaz followed with a groundout to shortstop which scored the inning's third and final run.

SCSU appeared to break the game open with six runs in the third to take a 9-2 lead. The big blow in the inning came from Diaz, who cranked a three-run homer to center field. Also in the inning, Barile had an RBI single up the middle, senior right fielder Paul Izzo (Cohoes, N.Y.) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to left and Babb clubbed a run-scoring double to left.

The Owls extended the lead further with two runs in the top of the sixth. Barile reached on an error and came all the way around to score on a Diaz double to left field. After a sacrifice bunt moved Diaz to third, junior center fielder Karl Derbacher (Northford, Conn.) singled through the right side to drive in Diaz and give SCSU an 11-2 lead.

Barry began their comeback with a run in the bottom half of the sixth when Mitch Rodriguez led off with a homer to left field. Another lead-off homer in the bottom of the seventh, this time by Yudelmis Hernandez, cut the SCSU lead to 11-4 through seven innings.

The Buccaneers would then storm to the lead with eight runs on seven hits and an SCSU error in the bottom of the eighth inning. The big blows in the inning were an RBI double to left by Andrew Frezza which tied the game 11-11 and a two-run single to left by Keefe which gave Barry a 13-11 lead. Also in the inning, Servidio hit a two-run homer to left, Chris Leon knocked a run-scoring single through the left side, Brett Rossi grounded into an RBI fielder's choice and Shaw clubbed a two-run homerun to left-center.

Sophomore Ed Bethke (Branford, Conn.) started on the hill for the Owls, but did not factor in the decision. The lefty tossed seven innings, gave up six runs on 12 hits, walked none and struck out two. Freshman Josh Depew (Walden, N.Y.) took the loss (0-1) out of the bullpen for SCSU. Over two-thirds of an inning, he gave up three runs (two earned) on two hits and walked two.

Bobby Riley started on the mound for Barry and also did not factor in the decision. Over 2.1 innings, he gave up seven runs on five hits, walked four, threw a wild pitch and struck out one. Bobby Hernandez earned the win (2-0) in relief for the Buccaneers. He threw the final three innings, allowed no runs on two hits, hit a batter and struck out seven.

The Owls return to action on Wednesday, March 19, when they travel to Lynn for a non-conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Boca Raton, Fla.