By STEVE JACKSON
All five South Shore baseball teams look to post another win or two in diamond action this week. All five squads, in three separate divisions, then enter the rugged Saladino Baseball Tournament, starting this Saturday afternoon on diamonds throughout southeastern Hillsborough County.
Lennard High, under Coach Victor Martinez, utilized the strong starting pitching of sophomore Talan Mirando and the one inning closing of senior lefty Zack Bird to top Steinbrenner High 5-1 last week. The Longhorns, now 3-1, traveled to Sumner High for a March 5 clash with Sumner. Then the Horns bus to Tampa for a match with Plant High the very next evening. The Horns open action in Ruskin versus Plant City High Saturday in the Saladino at 4 p.m.
Lennard players, Adrian Camacho, Pablo Garcia and Talen Miranda, talk between innings as they head back to the dugout.
Spoto infielder Peyton Nisy and Longhorn Kevin Hunter get tangled up on a play at second base. Hunter was safe on the play.
At the other end of baseball fortunes in the South Shore, Coach Garrett Thompson still searches for some offensive firepower for 0-4 Riverview High. The Sharks lost a 3-1 pitchers’ duel to 2-2 Chamberlain last week, scrapping out only a lone hit. Riverview has scored only eight runs and given up 29 in its four games of this season. Prior to hosting Robinson High at 4 p.m. in its opening Saladino effort, Riverview played Plant City on the Sharks turf early this week. A voyage to Armwood this Thursday precedes the opening action in the Saladino.
Spoto High, coached by Stephan Knight, climbed to 2-2 last week by mounting a quality offensive outing with good pitching from senior Cullen Cairns, the winning starter with four innings, giving up an unearned run on only two hits and striking out seven Blake Yellow Jackets. Spartan senior Peyton Nisy provided two innings of relief and gave up two unearned runs.
Junior D’Andre Woods closed the win by giving up a pair of hits and no runs to Blake. Sophomore Jehmiel Pettis continued to hit the ball hard and consistently, going 3 for 4, scoring two runs and picking up an RBI against Blake. Five Spartan freshmen, Levert Sims, Bryon Barrios, William Barrios, Na’im Salter and Antonio Roberts, also showed some offensive firepower in the Blake win. Spoto junior Michael McQueen slashed a base hit and knocked in a run. The lopsided 12-0 loss to Lennard last week was somewhat atoned by the domination over Blake High.
Spoto starting pitcher D’Andre Woods and catcher Nate Rodriguez discuss strategy.
Prior to starting the Saladino grind this Saturday at 4 p.m. in Spoto versus Carrollwood Day, the Spartans have three games: March 4 at Mulberry High, March 5 versus Newsome High at Spoto and March 7 with Sickles High at Spoto.
The East Bay Indians walloped Tampa Bay Tech 11-1 last Friday but lost a donnybrook 13-11 to Sumner High earlier last week. The Indians made six errors in the Sumner loss. East Bay’s A. Gingrich had a good plate game in the loss, going 2 for 4, scoring two runs, banging in three RBIs with a double and a home run. That left EB, under Coach Rowland Ruiz, at 3-1, facing a golden opportunity to embellish that record versus Brandon High early this week. The Indians start the Saladino Saturday at 4 p.m. at Chamberlain High.
Francis Fedor Photos
Head coaches, Victor Martinez for Lennard and Stephan Knight Sr. for Spoto, go over the ground rules prior to the game on Feb. 26
Sumner High of Coach Kennedy Duran squeaked past Armwood last week on Friday 1-0. The Stingrays hosted neighborhood rival Lennard early in the week in an effort to go 3-2 and to climb over .500 for the first time this season. A Saturday 4 p.m. tussle with 2-1 Seffner Christian at Sumner commences the Stingrays first of four contests in the Saladino. Coverage of Sumner High baseball and softball is provided by Francis Fedor every week in the ObserverNews.net print and digital.