By FRANCIS FEDOR
Stingray baseball split the week, winning 12-5 on the road vs. the Robinson Knights on Tuesday, April 23. Sumner closed its season on Thursday night with an 8-5 Senior Night loss to the Strawberry Crest Chargers in the tank. Sumner baseball then played the Riverview Sharks on Monday in first round district playoff action.
Sumner base runner Winston Pennant dives back into first ahead of the throw.
Sumner head coach Kennedy Duran kicks off the Stingray senior night festivities. Assistant coach Joe Lomascolo looks on.
Sumner extended a winning streak to four games with the victory over Robinson, scoring at least a run in every inning, with the exception of the fifth. The ‘Rays were led by starting pitcher Ethan Dejesus, who tossed five innings, scattering seven hits and giving up three runs, none earned. Rhyan Yetman closed the game, throwing a clean seventh inning in relief, facing four batters and striking out two. Six players on offense notched at least one RBI. Sebastian Peralta and Winston Pennant homered for the winners. Pennant also added another double to his season total, going 3-4 from the plate and driving in three runs. Ethan Dejesus helped his cause with his own 3-4 night and drove in three. With the district playoff matchups set, head coach Kennedy Duran honored eight seniors in front of the Stingray families gathered. Duran has counted on the seniors to mentor the sophomores and freshmen on the team. For the game Strawberry Crest used a four-run third inning to go up early. The Chargers threatened in the second with strong defensive efforts from Winston Pennant, first throwing out a runner at the plate, followed up by a great diving catch that turned into a double play to end the inning. Crest played small ball to move runners and got a key double to score two of the four runs in the inning. Questionable calls created controversy for the game, the biggest gaffe being a Charger runner giving himself up as out, even returning to the dugout, only to be called safe and then correcting the call after a discussion to get the call right with the runner being called out.
Stingray senior Anthony Jacquez walks with flowers in hand to meet his family at the pitchers mound.
The ‘Rays mounted a comeback in the sixth, putting up five runs, but the rally fell short. If Sumner defeats Riverview, the team moves on to play 17-7 Plant HS on the road. The Stingrays finish the season with a 14-6 record, improving on their 11-13 record for the 2022-23 season, and look to win another district championship.
Stingray softball will carry a three-game winning streak into the playoffs after road wins vs. Robinson and Alonso and a 14-4 home win vs. Riverview to close its regular season. Like baseball, head coach Autum Hernandez’s squad played Riverview at home for the second time in four nights. The ‘Rays have defeated the Sharks twice in the regular season and looked to continue that success. The winner of the Riverview v. Sumner district playoff game went on to face Palm Harbor University on the road the next night, Tuesday, April 30. Neither team has faced Palm Harbor in the regular season. Top district seed Palm Harbor finished with a 17-5 record but did not play a district opponent.
Francis Fedor Photos
On a throw from outfielder Winston Pennant, Stingray catcher Daniel Dugarte applies the tag to the Strawberry Crest runner for the out.
The highlight of the week for Stingray softball was an extra inning road win vs. a four-loss Alonso Ravens team. Sumner used a four-run eighth inning to rally to defeat the Ravens. Jaelyn Joiner went 3-5 at the plate and drove in two runs, and R. Wine added a 2-4 night, driving in a run and scoring twice for the victors. Aliyanis Stubbs earned the win, tossing all eight innings, striking out 13 and only allowing three earned runs. Stubbs has had an outstanding sophomore season and is one of the leaders the Stingrays will count on for years to come. It was a big win for the team to maintain positive momentum as it enters district playoffs and looks to add another title banner to the Tank complex. Sumner softball ends the regular season with a 17-8 record and a perfect district run at 5-0, having had a very successful season without a senior on the team, a testament to the leadership of Hernandez and her staff.
