Tough Armwood here March 7

By Steve Jackson

The Lennard Longhorns baseball team pounded out a total of 30 runs and 23 hits in its first two regular games of the season last week and received tremendous support from the mound as well as defensively. Coach Kennedy Duran’s diamond dandies scored 15 runs in each game, putting their young-season record at 2-0, both of them mercy-rule victories.
First it was the visiting Blake Yellow Jackets. The Tampa visitors eked out 2 runs on 1 hit in five innings against a trio of senior hurlers for Lennard: John Tyler, Randy Tavares and Alex Williams. The lefty Tyler started and notched the W. Seniors Jordan Rutherford and Levi Montero blasted out 2 hits each.
The next lamb to the slaughter was the Spoto Spartans. Spoto scratched out 3 hits, but was also dealt a complete game shutout (although only 4 merciful innings) by left-hander Cameron Lasalle in a 15-0 donnybrook Feb. 28. Catcher Montero had a career night against Spoto. The senior backstop went 4 for 4 with 4 RBIs. Duran is playing lots of players, but senior Hayden Hensley and Yoyo Nunez also picked up a pair of hits.
This week after presstime, Lennard traveled to Bradenton for a 7A District 9 game with Braden River on March 5. A stiffer challenge awaits Duran on March 7 as Armwood visits from Seffner for a 7 p.m. game at the well-manicured Lennard diamond. Lennard foes in 7A District 9 play are Armwood, which has fashioned a 2-0-1 in the young season ­— Braden River, Brandon and Tampa Bay Tech. After the battle with Armwood in Ruskin this Thursday, the Longhorns hit the road , including a March 26 date at East Bay at 7 p.m., and then return home for a March 28 game with Brandon at 7 p.m.