Buccaneers Lift Off in the 9th of Extra-Inning Thriller To Win The 3A District 8 Championship
What a night to play baseball at Carlson-Cone Field as the Buccaneers of Berkeley Prep took on the Warriors of Calvary Christian Academy.
Starters: (BP) JT Quinn 3-2 23K 1.31 ERA vs (CCA) Paul Guerne 6-0 1SV 50K 0.72 ERA
Emotions were high from the first pitch until the dogpile. The student sections were exploding, doing everything they could to keep the energy roaring throughout the stands.
Bottom of the 1st: Calvary struck first after a 2-out walk to Landen Maroudis, followed by an RBI Double From 2021 Jackson Unice. 2022 Miles Curley followed that with a hard single to left field to score the second runner, which gave the Warriors an early 2-0 lead. But Berkeley countered one of those runs in the top of the 2rd, as 2023 James Hankerson launched a missile over the scoreboard out in right-center field to give the Bucs a spark of energy.
In the top of the 3rd inning, 2023 Cade Kurland knocked a Double down the left field line, and a walk issued to Anthony Castillo would set up 2021 Jonathan Bruno to the plate. Bruno delivered a huge 2-Out RBI single to center that scored both runners, giving the Bucs a 3-2 lead. As the bottom of the 3rd rolled in, 2022 Matt Rose singled with one out, followed by a walk to 2021 Jackson Unice, which set up Miles Curley, who continued to be a threat at the plate as he knocked another single to left to tie the game up at 3.
The Buccaneers had something enticing in the 4th inning, as they had the bases loaded with 2 outs, but 2022 Ethan Phillips came in with the strikeout to escape the jam.
From the 4th inning on, the game was relatively quiet, as both teams failed to score any runs until the Top of the 9th. 2021 Evan Parmer was lethal on the mound, pitching 6 innings in relief and striking out 10, allowing only 2 hits as well.
In the top of the 9th, Jonathan Bruno and James Hankerson reached on base with two outs, which brought up 2022 Gunnett Carlson, who reached on base with an error, followed by 2021 Knox Meier reaching on base by an error, which gave the Buccaneers a 5-3 lead. 2022 Drew Canody knocked a 2-run RBI single up the middle which extended the lead to 7-3.
Evan Parmer closed out the game after going 6 strong innings in relief, and the Buccaneers took this one away from the Warriors 7-3.
Below are some of the top performers with a few notes on their impact during the game. Please give us a follow on our social media platforms listed below as we post content with highlights, clips, and announcements on past and upcoming events.
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Top Performers
2021 RHP Evan Parmer (Berkeley Prep)
Adrenaline pump was flowing through his veins last night. Definitely a good jump in velocity. Parmer last month sat around the 85-87 T 88 range, and last night he maintained a velocity of 87-89 T 90 mph. Slider was very effective, along with a great changeup of around 73 mph. 10 K's in 6 innings. Very projectable. Virginia Military Institute Signee
2023 INF James Hankerson (Berkeley Prep)
Big 6'3 245 frame, effortless pop as well. Switch hitter, a threat from both sides of the plate. Knocked a solo shot over the right field scoreboard. Also went 3-4 at the plate with 1 RBI. Uncommitted, strong follow.
2021 INF Jonathan Bruno (Berkeley Prep)
Very athletic on the field. Made some strong throws across the diamond. 1-3 at the plate delivering 2 huge RBI's. George Washington Signee
2022 C Gunnett Carlson (Berkeley Prep)
Carlson was a wall behind the plate. Made a sneaky throw down to second with 2 outs. Made lots of hard contact throughout his 4 AB's. Good power and fast bat speed as well. FSU Commit
2023 INF Cade Kurland (Berkeley Prep)
What an outstanding night on the field for Kurland. Made a few diving plays with outstanding throws across the diamond. Went 1-2 with 4 walks. Was a dual threat all night long. Exciting player to watch and has a very high ceiling. UF Commit
2022 INF Miles Curley (Calvary Christian)
6'1 190 Frame, lots of power and good bat speed as well. 3-4 at the plate with 2 RBI's. Aggressive and has good patience at the plate. Has been a threat all season, batting .317 with 18 RBI's. East Carolina Commit.
2023 INF/RHP Landen Maroudis (Calvary Christian)
6'2 170 frame. FB on the mound sat 88-91 T 92 mph. Strong 3 1/3 innings in relief. FB had tons of life along with late 2 SM movement. Slider was very effective, sitting around 72-74 mph. NC State Commit
2022 RHP Ethan Phillips (Calvary Christian)
Very exciting arm to watch. Came in a huge 4th inning jam and followed with a strikeout. Came in for 1 2/3 scoreless innings. FB had tons of movement and a nice velocity jump as well during the season. FB last night was 88-90 mph. Uncommitted arm and he will be off the board soon.
