By STEVE JACKSON
The five South Shore high school baseball teams experienced an abupt end to their baseball season last week. Not one from the South Shore is competing in this week’s regional playoffs, much less the state finals in Ft. Myers starting May 15.
Sumner High of Coach Kennedy Duran was eliminated in the second round last week after squeezing by the Riverview Sharks, 8-7, in the 7A District 7 opening bracket. The 2-1 loss to Plant High April 30 sent Sumner home with a final 15-7 mark for the season.
Lennard sophomore Rowland Ruiz scores ahead of the throw in district second round action vs. the Palmettto Tigers.
Lennard High also won its first game of the 6A District 11 playoff. Coach Victor Martinez’ Horns erupted for four runs in the first inning last Tuesday to march past the Plant City Raiders. Lennard produced five runs on eight hits and one error. The Horns swiped six bases. Lennard senior hurler Zack Bird threw one of his best games, whiffing 10 in 5.1 innings, yielding six hits, three walks and three earned runs. Top Lennard reliever junior Pablo Garcia came on in the sixth to shut down Plant City. The top hitter for the evening was Lennard’s best season hitter, Matthew Counts. Counts cranked out 3 for 4 at the plate, scoring twice and doubling twice. Sophomore Talan Miranda also rapped 1 for 3 at the plate and knocked in two runs. Junior RJ Torres contributed 2 for 4, scoring a run and gathering an RBI.
However, the season tumbled to a disappointing conclusion for the Horns April 30 with a 9-3 loss to the Palmetto High Tigers. That defeat eliminated Lennard from the post-season playoffs with a final 13-12 record. The Horns stroked 11 hits but fell behind Palmetto 8-1 early and never could catch up. The Horns junior Sebastian Rojas was 2 for 3, with a run and an RBI. Sophomore Mikie Locke was 2 for 4 with a double. Junior RJ Torres had 2 for 3 with an RBI, and sophomore Rowland Ruiz banged out 1 for 2 with a run and a double in a losing cause. Palmetto smashed 12 hits off a trio of Lennard pitchers.
The Horns scored 117 runs and gave up 99 for its 25 games.
Francis fedor Photos
Longhorn players work out before second round district match-up against Palmetto on Tuesday, April 30.
East Bay High was even more disappointed. The Indians of Coach Rowland Ruiz dropped a nail biter, 4-3, to Bloomingdale in the 6A District 11 bracket’s opening round April 29. Bloomingdale bumped Manatee High, the top seed in the 6A District 11 brackets, the next day. However, it was Palmetto winning the District 11 championship 4-2 over the Bulls May 2.
The Indians packed up their 2024 gear and uniforms with the close loss to Bloomingdale, despite a good pitching performance from EB junior Michael Mowel, who went six innings, giving up four hits and three earned runs. The Bulls managed to grab the victory in the bottom of the 7th inning with a run off reliever R. Kinney. For East Bay, in compiling its overall 14-8 season, it was 180 runs scored while 109 opponents scampered across the plate.
The Spoto Spartans of Coach Stephan Knight had a brief taste of victory, but it went sour the next day. On April 30, the Spartans won a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Southeast High of Bradenton. Three-year Spoto star and senior Cullen Cairns was the pitching stalwart and hitting star for the Spartans. From the mound Cairns held Southeast for five innings, yielded two earned runs on seven hits and walked three. Dependable senior pitcher Peyton Nisy took the mound after Spoto moved ahead 3-2 after the first five innings. Nisy shutout Southeast to move Spoto’s overall record to 7-18. However, the Spartans had the bad luck to face powerful Jesuit High in the 5A District 9 game. Jesuit waltzed to an 8-0 win behind the no-hit pitching of senior Aden Knowles. Big Knowles compiled 14 strikeouts and zero walks, a complete game masterpiece. The only Spoto base runner reached on an error. The dominant Jesuit squad claimed the 5A District 9 championship May 2 and is competing in the regional playoffs this week. Spoto ended 2024 at 7-19, scoring only 80 runs and yielding 183.
The Riverview High Sharks entered the 7A District 7 bracket at the bottom of the heap. First up for the Sharks was the number 3 seed Sumner. The Sharks took a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but the Stingrays rallied with two runs in the sixth and the winning run in the bottom of the seventh to burst Riverview’s dream and to send the Sharks of Coach Garrett Thompson home with an overall 4-20 record.
Longhorn junior Pablo Garcia throws in relief against Palmetto.
Riverview’s leading hitter for the season, junior Ryan Butner, pasted the horsehide all evening. Butner was 3 for 3 with a run, five RBIs and a home run. Senior Caiden Kamrad contributed a 1 for 1 night with the bat along with two runs, an RBI and a double. But four Riverview pitchers could not slow down the Stingrays.
Although all five South Shore baseball teams had their baseball play unceremoniously ceased, Florida High School Athletics Association (FHSAA) finals await next week at Ft. Myers. Looking to win and advance are several teams from Hillsborough County in this week’s regionals. Included from Class 7A Region 2 are Newsome vs. Plant and Palm Harbor vs. Durant. In Region 3 this week are Bloomingdale vs. Palmetto, Largo vs. Sickles and Armwood vs. Gaither. Jesuit is the top seed in 5A Region 3, facing Cape Coral Island Coast this week. Region 3 opening games this week also include Robinson vs. Lakeland and Mulberry McKeel Academy vs. Jefferson.
