Kurland holds on for complete-game against Terrapins

Berkeley Prep junior Rivers Kurland battled in the final inning against Tampa Prep to finish his complete-game win with his eighth strikeout, and hold on for a 4-3 win. 

By Lily Belcher, Staff Writer

TAMPA – Leaving junior Rivers Kurland in for the seventh inning, despite loading the bases with no outs, was a vote of confidence from Berkeley Prep head coach Richie Warren.

Kurland pitched six shutout innings as Berkeley’s (14-10) offense put up four runs for a comfortable lead in Tuesday’s 3A District 5 semifinal game.

“I’ve trusted him,” Kurland said. “He’s going to make the right decision and, when he decides to leave me out there, I know that okay, I can do this.”

Tampa Prep (14-12) put up back-to-back lead off hits followed by a hit by pitch to put the tying run at the plate, and plated three runs before Kurland was able to hold on for a 4-3 victory and a berth in Thursday’s Class 3A-District 5 championship against host and top seed Tampa Catholic (winners 13-0 against Brooks DeBartolo).

“[We] had to be one run better and that’s what we were,” Warren said.

Buccaneers sophomore Josh Herrmann was 2-for-3 with a run and RBI in the win.

Kurland held his own against the Terrapins’ attempted comeback and dealt his eighth strikeout of the afternoon for the final out.

He said he felt “so much” relief.

Warren said Kurland wasn’t going to come out of the game unless he reached the max pitch count, and the junior finished with 95 pitches.

“He deserved to finish that game and that’s what he was going to do,” the coach said.

Kurland credited the win to his team, which put up seven hits for four runs.

“That was all pitch calling and defense,” he said. “I didn’t have my best stuff today, but they made it look like we could win that game and we did because of them.”

Sophomore Josh Herrmann, who went 2-for-3 Tuesday afternoon, drove in the first run for the Buccaneers in the third inning with a base hit. He scored the second run of the afternoon on a wild pitch.

“We’re always doing small ball because that’s the way we win ball games,” Hermann said.

The Buccaneers put up four back-to-back RBI base hits, including RBI hits from senior David Parker and Kurland in the bottom half of the fifth, which resulted in two more runs to secure a big enough lead for Berkeley Prep.

Warren said the Buccaneers had been working on “small ball” all year. Digging themselves out of a 1-9 start, Berkeley Prep won 13 of its next 14 to make it to the district semi-finals.

Kurland said they’ve worked on team chemistry and fine tuning their skills on the field.

“We know how to play baseball at this point,” he said. “It’s hard to make the playoffs. So now it’s just about perfecting the little things.”

In the seventh Kyle Brill drove in Derek Stiglich (single) on fielder’s choice, and Will Jennewein singled in Emilio Miranda (double) and Kyle Brill for the Terrapins.

Berkeley Prep will play the winner of tonight’s Brooks DeBartolo/Tampa Catholic semifinal on Thursday from Tampa Catholic.

⚾ Class 3A-District 5 Semifinal ⚾

Berkeley Prep 4, Tampa Prep 3

T 000|000|3 – |3|6|0
B 020|020|x – |4|8|0
W – Kurland (8-0); L – Akins (2-3)
2B – Miranda (T); Troupe (B). Records – T (14-12); B (14-10).