Florida Memorial Lions Baseball Spring Break Tourney Review

Florida Memorial University hosted its annual Spring Break HBCU Baseball Tourney this past weekend on the beautiful campus of Florida Memorial in Miami Gardens, FL. Florida Memorial played a four-game series with Harris-Stowe State University who flew in from forty-degree weather in St. Louis, Missouri to humid Miami temperatures in the high 80s. The games were watched on Friday and Saturday March 9-10 with sunny skies with a high of 86°.

Florida Memorial head coach Tino Burgos continues planning the HBCU Spring Break event in its second season which initially was planned last year with Black College Championships (organizer of the Black College World Series) partnering with Florida Memorial’s Coach Burgos and his Assistant Coach Andre Payne in planning the Spring Break HBCU Baseball Classic.

This year’s tournament was unique in its perspective. Harris-Stowe State baseball players fundraised to make the trip. They flew in two days before the event and were treated with beautiful weather, sunny partly cloudy no rain in the forecast and had a taste of South Florida cuisine and South Beach.Harris-Stowe head coach Pernell Roberts continues the tradition of players fundraising for spring break travel destinations which allows the team to travel outside of their athletic department’s budget. The tradition was started by former HSSU head coach CJ Bilbrey who is now the head baseball coach at Mississippi Valley State University.

The players were able to raise more than $40,000, which was more than enough to cover their airfare, hotel accommodations, and meal expenses.

The tournament guaranteed four games in two days as back-to-back doubleheaders. Not many Florida Memorial students were in attendance due in part to 90 percent of the student body being on spring break, nor were there any school administrators present during the event. But the ones that were in attendance, mainly family members of the student athletes from both teams, witnessed a very competitive four-game series.

After the start of competitive games over the past month, the Harris-Stowe baseball team began the team’s season marked by the trip to Florida, where the team played four games over the span of four days.

The perspective I received from both teams… instead of the warm weather, the sand between their toes, the cool water, and the freedom to do pretty much whatever they wanted (which is what most of us think of when we think of spring break), but not the HBCU baseball players.

My Saturday’s take from the game… for most college students, spring break is a week where they relax, party and just forget about school. But for these college athletes, spring break is just another week full of baseball. This was that event.

I raised the question to a few players from Florida Memorial and Harris-Stowe State and instead of heading to a beach, these men would rather be working up a sweat every day on the field. This was evident while both teams prepared to start the game.

They all stated the opportunity to play college baseball is more important to their futures than a week of partying at the beach with friends.

As for the games…

Florida Memorial completed the doubleheader sweep over Harris-Stowe, earning wins of 8-3 and 12-1 on Friday at Harry T. Moore Baseball Field.

Game 1:

Florida Memorial 8

Harris-Stowe 3

After two scoreless innings, the FMU Lions got on the scoreboard first with a three rbi home run off of the bat by Luis Ruiz to give the Lions a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third.

Harris-Stowe generated three runs in the top of the fifth to tie the game, but FMU took the lead again in the bottom of the inning, with a two out, two-run double to open the Lions up 5-3 over the Hornets.

FMU added three more in the bottom of the eighth inning which was the final nail in the coffin for the 8-3 victory.

For the Lions, RHP Max Charnin, in 4.1 innings allowed five hits, three runs, while striking out two Hornets. Junior Kelvin Feliciano (1-0) came in relief, earning the victory, allowing only two hits and one walk while generating five strikeouts.

Game 2:

Florida Memorial 12

Harris-Stowe 1

The Lions pounded Harris-Stowe for six runs in the second inning and then added an additional five runs in the third inning to coast to a 12-1 win.

For FMU, Nathan Harris generated a game-high three runs batted in. Pitcher William Hiciano recorded the victory, striking out seven Hornets and allowing one earned run in seven innings pitched.

Game 3:

Florida Memorial 10

Harris-Stowe 5

The Lions got on the scoreboard with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take an early 3-0 lead. FMU would add three more runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 6-0 lead. They would get two more runs in the bottom of the fifth for an 8-0 lead.

Harris-Stowe made a game out of the contest when they scored one run in the sixth inning, two in the seventh and two more in the top of the ninth inning. FMU scored in the bottom of the eighth to erase any hopes of a come from behind win from the Hornets handing the Lions a 10-5 win in game three.

FMU pitcher Carlos Solano (W,1-1), in 6.0 innings on the hill, allowed only one earned run in six innings pitched.

Senior outfielder Nathan Harris had four runs batted in along with outfielder Pheron Charlton who had three runs driven in.

Game 4:

Florida Memorial 10

Harris-Stowe 1

FMU wasted no time in scoring runs in the series finale, plating three runs in the first inning, then adding four more in the bottom of the third inning to go up 7-0. The Lions would cruise to complete the sweep.

Harris-Stowe’s lone run came in the top of the sixth, but that was all she wrote as Florida Memorial improved to 11-5 with the 10-1 victory.

FMU’s Kyle Morrison (W, 2-1), earned the victory allowing only one earned run in 6.0 innings pitched. Jacob Williams struck out three batters for the save.