MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Looking for their first win in program history against Barry University and hoping to kick off their spring break trip on a high note, Post University Baseball headed down to Florida for their first of five games in the Sunshine State on Saturday afternoon. Unable to get the bats going and hampered by a strong day at the plate for the Buccaneers, the Eagles were swept in the doubleheader to start off the trip and three-game series against Barry, losing 8-1 in game one and 21-3 in game two.
THE BASICS
Post University 1, Barry University 8
Post University 3, Barry University 21
Post University (6-9)
Barry University (11-11)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Post University 1, Barry University 8
Senior right-hander
Matt Semon looked to build off his dominant start against Franklin Pierce in game one, but would struggle in his five-plus innings of work which saw him give up six runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts, a walk, and hit batter. He would be lifted for his brother, sophomore right-hander
Nick Semon in the sixth. The younger Semon lasted 1 2/3 innings, his second-longest outing of the season, while giving up two runs on two hits with a strikeout, walk, and hit batter.
Senior right-hander
Erik Gutowski made his first appearance in nearly a month and pitched a scoreless eighth inning while giving up two hits and striking out a batter.
The lone run of the game for Post came off the bat of junior third baseman
Justin Rivera who had an RBI double that scored junior catcher
Jimmy Brennan in the eighth inning. Junior outfielder Nick Toms and senior utilityman Kevin Noreiga paced the Barry offense with three RBIs apiece with Noreiga going 3-for-5 with a double and Toms finishing 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and two runs scored.
The Buccaneer pitching staff used senior right-handers Frank Gonzalez II and Dominic Murgo III who gave up a combined one run on nine hits with eight strikeouts and four walks. Murgo III picked up the win after throwing the final 4 1/3 innings for Barry to move to 3-0 on the year.
Game 2: Post University 3, Barry University 21
Eight first inning runs would be all the Buccaneers would need to get themselves the doubleheader sweep as six walks and a hit batter led to four runs off being charged to junior right-hander
Justin Portes before he was lifted for sophomore left-hander
Nick Gomes after four batters. Gomes would allow a bases-clearing double to sophomore infielder Freddy Rodriguez and an RBI double to junior infielder Brandon Sanchez to round out that opening frame.
Junior infielder
Chris Corchado hit his first career home run in the second inning and Rivera drove in two more runs during the fourth inning for Post, bringing his total to three on the afternoon, before seven more runs came home for Barry in the bottom of the same inning to turn their six-run lead into a 13 run lead after four.
Corchado finished the game as the only Eagle with multiple hits after going 2-for-3 with his solo home run and two runs scored. Rodriguez was halfway to the cycle for the Buccaneers with a 2-for-3 day that included a double, home run, seven runs batted in, two walks, and three runs scored. Four players had multi-hit games for Barry while five had two or more runs batted in as the Post pitching staff was rung up for 21 runs on 15 hits while walking 13, striking out six, and hitting two in the 21-3 defeat.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Michael Pavelchak has now gotten on base in 24 straight games -- Pavelchak walked twice in game one before going 2-for-4 in game two with a double
- Going 0-for-4 in game one, DJ Caron saw his eight-game hitting streak come to a close – Caron finished the day 0-for-8 making it only the third and fourth games this season in which he has not gotten a hit for Post
- This is only the third time in program history in which Post University has allowed 20-plus runs to their opponents in two games during a season – The Eagles allowed 20-plus in back-to-back games against University of Mary and LIU Post in 2014 and in 2006 gave up 20 runs to Shepherd University before allowing 25 runs against UMass Lowell later that same season – This year Post gave up 20-plus runs to second nationally-ranked North Greenville University and now Barry University
- Post University moves to 2-8 when allowing the game's first run and remained 4-1 when they score the game's first run
WHO'S NEXT
Post University closes its three-game series against the Buccaneers with a nine-inning affair tomorrow night in Miami Shores, Florida scheduled for 6:00 PM.