Bucs win the BIG one in season series with Calvary Christian

Berkeley Prep senior pitcher JT Quinn earned his ninth win of the season, and avenged a pair of losses to Calvary Christian leading the Bucs in a region semifinal win (photos by Chuck Frye). 

By Chuck Frye
Staff Writer

Check out a few more photos from Saturday night by clicking here.

CLEARWATER – It’s fair to say that, despite dropping three of four meetings this year, Berkeley Prep still emerged as the winner of its series against Calvary Christian. Because, simply put, that one win was the biggest of the season.

With a berth in the Class 3A Region 2 finals on the line Saturday night, the visiting Buccaneers finally got to play its game. Aggressive running, forcing early Warrior miscues, tight defense, timely hitting and gutsy pitching from starter J.T. Quinn and freshman closer Rivers Kurland, all allowed Berkeley to break through in a big way with an emotional 4-1 victory.

“The previous games, we really struggled putting the ball in play and that limits what we can do,” Bucs head coach Richie Warren said. “(Saturday) the execution was at an all-time high for us. We still had a lot of strikeouts (13 against standout lefty Hunter Dietz and reliever Liam Peterson) but we put the ball in play when we had to, we moved the runners when we had to, put a little pressure on (Calvary) and, lucky for us, they made a couple of mistakes that ended up as runs.”

Calvary Christian junior starting pitcher Hunter Dietz. 

Responding immediately after Landen Maroudis’ first-inning RBI double put the Warriors (26-2) on top early, clean-up hitter Owen McElfatrick became a one-run scoring machine. The senior ripped an opposite-field double near the rightfield line, hustled to third on a wild pitch and trotted home when the throw sailed into the outfield.

“Man, Owen got us going there,” Warren said of his second-highest RBI producer (with 30) and third-highest run scorer (24) this year.

Berkeley’s Owen McElfatrick is animated after his double to lead off the second inning.

He kept it going in a game-changing fourth inning, drawing his first of two intentional walks with one out after Anthony Castillo’s leadoff single. But when an infield grounder looked ripe to become an inning-ending double play, instead an errant Calvary throw allowed Castillo to hustle home. And when freshman pinch hitter Joseph Troupe was hit with a two-out, 1-and-2 offering with the bases loaded, McElfatrick came home to make it 3-1.

“They showed a lot of respect to put (Owen) on and we were able to make that hurt,” Warren said.

Shaking off some early nerves, Quinn started rolling. The senior escaped a second-and-third, one-out threat in the second with no damage, then strung together 12 straight outs and 14-of-15 to get to the Bucs (26-3) to the seventh with their two-run advantage intact.

“I think my team just picked me up every step of the way,” said Quinn, who finished his six-plus innings allowing just three hits – none coming after the second inning – with seven strikeouts, two walks and a hit batter. “In my last two games (before Saturday), I’ve had like 11 walks in 11 innings, so getting the mentality of putting the ball over the plate and letting my teammates work was really big for me.”

Berkeley posted what would be a key insurance tally in the top of the seventh when senior Drew Canody (“Not a typical 9-hole hitter but he likes to hit there,” said Warren) drove a ball just inside the rightfield line for a hustle triple, then scored two batters later when Castillo’s perfect squeeze bunt became an RBI single.

“I think that was a huge run for us,” Warren explained. “If we could go up three and take away a bloop and a bomb … I think that run was really big.”

So true, as Calvary dug deep in the bottom of the frame. After Rivers Kurland got a ground out for a force, a walk to No. 9 hitter Blake Opie (who also doubled) and a Nick Monile hit-batter loaded the bases with two out. With the tying run on base, the freshman barely kept Maroudis in the yard, flying out to Julius Pfau in deep left field to end the threat and the game.

“Rivers’ been our guy all season,” Warren said. “We were going to win or lose with him on the mound. He made a hell of a pitch to a really good hitter and (Maroudis) got under it just enough.”

Quinn concluded: “We got our butts kicked three times in a row (by Calvary) and we kept saying ‘Jefferson, Jefferson, Jefferson’ (which beat Jesuit last year after losing four regular-season matchups). We knew we were underdogs but we worked really hard to get everything right. I’m just really proud of the guys.”

The Bucs will now travel to take on Lakeland Christian, a team they beat in a playoff slugfest last year,  Tuesday for a spot in the 3A final four.

Check out a few more photos from Saturday night by clicking here.

⚾ Class 3A-Region 2 Semifinal ⚾

Berkeley Prep 4
Calvary Christian 1

BP 010|200|1 – |4|6|1
CC 100|000|0 – |1|3|1
W – Quinn (9-2); L – Dietz (8-1); S – R. Kurland (5)
2B – McElfatrick (BP); Opie, Maroudis (CC); 3B – Canody (BP). Records – BP (25-3); CC (26-2).

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