Veteran players stretch Bucs undefeated run to 10 wins

By Chuck Frye
Correspondent

TAMPA – It was a case of veteran players making veteran plays.

A savvy move by senior catcher Gunnett Carlson collapsed an early rally from Class 4A power Green Cove Springs Clay. That led to a hefty response from junior Cade Kurland and host Berkeley Prep and created a come-from-behind, 6-2 victory Thursday in a battle of two top-25 teams.

After taking a three-plus hour bus ride across the state, Clay (8-2) crept out to an early two-run lead on the Class 3A Buccaneers and had two runners on in the third inning with no one out.

Staring down his team’s first potential loss of the season, instead Carlson rifled a throw to shortstop Cade Kurland to catch the Blue Devil’s Logan Wilson straying too far from second base. Starting pitcher and Ole Miss commit J.T. Quinn then struck out the next two batters to snuff out the threat and set the stage for the host Buccaneers to put the game away.

“I knew what was going to happen from (Clay’s) first attempted bunt,” Carlson, a Florida State commit, said of some aggressive Blue Devil base running. “I saw an opportunity to make a play and I’m glad I was able to help the team.”

Berkeley Prep C Gunnett Carlson.

“We had a senior make a play to another guy that’s been out there since his seventh-grade year,” explained Bucs head coach Richie Warren. “I don’t know if it turned momentum around, but it maybe shifted it a bit.”

In the bottom of the third, it was Cade Kurland’s bat that made a big, loud statement.
With No. 9 batter Drew Canody (single) on, the Florida commit drove fire-balling Brandon Adams’ second pitch over the left-centerfield fence for a game-tying home run. The drive was even more special as it was Cade Kurland’s 100th career hit.

“I think (Adams) was throwing 88-to-92 miles per hour and I was just sitting fastball,” the junior said. “I had no idea it was my 100th hit. When I came around and saw everyone, it was a nice surprise. It was awesome.”

Adams, who had yielded just one earned run over 15 2/3 innings going into the game, ran into further trouble, walking three straight Berkeley batters to force in senior Anthony Castillo (reached on error) for the go-ahead run. Junior designated hitter Wyatt Ewanowski then stepped up and drilled a double up the left-centerfield gap that plated Owen McElfatrick and Troy Reader and ended the North Florida commit’s evening.

“I think trusting the offense was really big for me,” said Quinn (one earned run, six hits, one walk). “I felt I could pound the strike zone and get it done.”

That Quinn did, garnering 10 strikeouts in five innings of work, ending four of those frames with Ks and finishing by fanning the last three Blue Devil batters he faced.

“J.T.’s become one of the top prep arms in the state of Florida and he pitches like it,” Warren said. “He made some good pitches where the ball just fell in, but it shows the character he has to be put in unfortunate situations and battle his way through them.”

Berkeley Prep P JT Quinn.

Berkeley Prep (now 10-0) showed it could close out a victory as freshman Rivers Kurland worked two clean innings, allowing a walk and striking out a pair, while the Bucs padded the lead in the sixth when Canody doubled, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Castillo’s well-placed sacrifice bunt.

“There is some history between me and Clay,” Warren concluded. “We beat Clay in 2014 for the state title at Jesuit, and to be back on the field with them brought back some great memories. (The Blue Devils are) a well-coached team that’s going to be state contenders in 4A, and we won’t shy away from any competition. We’ll learn from any experience that we are given, and I’m just glad we came out on the right side of this one.”

⚾⚾⚾⚾

(1) Berkeley Prep 6
Green Cove Springs Clay 2

C   101|000|0 – |2|7|1
BP 005|001|x – |6|5|2
W – Quinn (4-0); L – Adams; S – R. Kurland (1)
2B – Williams (C); Ewanowski, Canody (BP); HR – C. Kurland (BP). Records – C (8-1); BP (9-0).

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