WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Brewton-Parker Christian University Barons baseball team rallied after dropping the first two games of the season to the Keiser University Seahawks, winning both games Saturday for a series split. The Bans took game one 10-2 in eight innings before a high-scoring game two, which they won 13-11 on January 31, 2026.
The Barons broke game one open with a five-run fifth and a four-run sixth, turning a tight contest into a decisive road win. Brewton-Parker finished with 10 runs on 11 hits while taking advantage of three Keiser errors to grab their first win of the season in the first game of the doubleheader.
In the decisive fifth inning, Fred Guzman Diaz delivered the swing that flipped the game. With runners aboard, Diaz ripped a two-run double to give Brewton-Parker its first lead. The Barons kept the pressure on, and later in the frame, outfielder Jeremi Lara drove in another run with a double as the Barons sent five runs across to surge ahead 6–2.
Brewton-Parker immediately added on in the sixth to put the game out of reach. Raul Morales opened the inning with a double, setting the tone for another crooked number. Jack Morris and Diaz each produced run-scoring plays before designated hitter Michael Son capped the rally with a two-run single. By the end of the frame, the Barons' lead had swelled to 10–2.
On the mound, Rutland provided the stability Brewton-Parker needed after the early Keiser scores. The right-hander worked 6 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts on 83 pitches to earn the win. The Barons' staff limited Keiser to five hits and two runs overall, holding the Seahawks scoreless over the final five innings.
In game 2, the Barons built a big early lead, then answered a furious Keiser comeback with a five-run eighth inning to secure a 13-11 victory. The Barons kept their momentum from game one, going with a four-run first inning, highlighted by a solo home run to left field from Jack Morris to jump-start the scoring. The Barons extended the margin in the third, stringing together quality at-bats to push three more runs across. Lara singled home Diaz, and later in the frame, Marquette Gibson lifted a sacrifice fly as the Barons moved ahead 7-2. In the fourth, Son doubled and eventually scored on a groundout to make it 8-2, but Keiser methodically climbed back into the game with two runs in the fifth, two more in the sixth, and another pair in the seventh, tying the contest at 8-8.
With momentum swung toward Keiser entering the eighth, the Barons responded decisively. The Barons erupted for five runs in the top half of the inning staling back momentum. Gibson delivered a key RBI double to break the tie, and Zack Carlton followed later in the frame with a two-run single to cap the rally and push the lead to 13-8. That outburst proved to be the difference, giving Brewton-Parker enough separation to withstand Keiser's final surge.
Morris and Morales anchored the Brewton-Parker lineup with three hits apiece, with Morris adding the first-inning home run and Morales driving in a run with a double. Gibson finished with two hits and three RBIs, including the go-ahead double and an earlier sacrifice fly, underscoring the middle-of-the-order production that fueled the win. With the road victory, the Barons showed offensive depth and resilience, responding to adversity late and finishing off a back-and-forth matchup in Florida.
Head Coach Aaron Larsen shared his thoughts after the games, saying, "Proud of how the guys responded today. Never want to drop the first two games of the year, but everyone buckled down and helped us steal a split on the series."
The Barons will be back in action on the road, taking on St. Thomas University in a four-game set on February 5-6, 2026, where they will look to improve on their strong Saturday performance against the Seahawks.
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