By FRANCIS FEDOR
francisfotography@outlook.com
Sumner baseball led off the week with a South Shore Six rivalry win over the Lennard Longhorns. The Stingrays used a big seven-run second inning and another outstanding start from Ethan DeJesus to notch the victory. DeJesus tossed a complete game (five innings with a run-rule) setting down 11 Longhorn hitters by strikeout and only allowing two hits. Senior Winston Pennant drove in three runs and Jaylin Chambers drove in a pair on a three-hit night. JV Brennick suffered the loss, giving up five runs on only three hits, coming off a strong game against Newsome a week earlier.
Stingray junior Isaiah Romano turns third in a game where he doubled, scored a run, and drove in two RBIs.
Sumner followed up the home win over Lennard with a 9-3 home win over Armwood on Feb. 26. Romano had a big night at the plate, going 3-4 with three doubles and an RBI and is seeing the ball well. Pennant and B. Disla each drove in two runs. The Rays completed their week on a rain rescheduled Friday night to Saturday afternoon. In a wild game that took an extra four innings to settle and saw Plant leave with an 11-5 win, Sumner got on the board first with a two-run blast by Pennant, his first of the season, that staked the Stingrays to an early advantage. Plant tied the game in the third, and only one run by each side was scored the rest of the way until the eleventh inning. Ethan Christian took the loss for a staff that used five arms with Matthew Rangel having the best success tossing three innings of scoreless baseball. Rangel also went 2-4 with a double and scored twice.
Sumner will have played a huge South Shore match up on Tuesday at 6-1 East Bay where DeJesus looked to end the Indians’ winning streak as the Rays look to get back to their winning ways with three games from Mar. 5 through Mar. 10, starting with Spoto at home on Wednesday, at Jefferson on Saturday and at Riverview on Mar. 10.
East Bay won its fourth in a row with a clutch 5-4 win on the road at Durant on Feb. 24, scoring two in the top of the seventh to take the lead. Johnathan Bryant went 3-4 and Connor Gavigan went 2-3 with a double, and each drove in two runs. Brady Robello earned the win, going two innings, and kept the Cougars scoreless in the final frames. The Indians won their fifth in a row with a tight 9-8 home win over Steinbrenner. The Warriors staged a late rally, but the Indians walked off with a run in the bottom of the seventh. It was the Indians fifth one-run win. Gavigan had a big impact with a HR, his first for a two RBI day; Rowland Ruiz Jr. and Ethan Cunningham drove in two runs each; and Cunningham also earned the win.
East Bay looks to continue its hot streak, playing Mar. 5 at Plant City and facing South Shore rival Lennard on Mar 10 in Gibsonton.
The Lennard Longhorns, after the loss to Sumner, traveled up I-75 to near Busch Gardens to play the Chamberlain Storm
Longhorn senior Myles Wagner and junior Max Herro have a conversation before the start of an inning in game vs. Sumner on Feb. 24.
but could not pull off the win. The Storm scored in every inning except the second to secure a 12-6 win over the Longhorns. Lennard took a 6-3 lead in the top of the fourth on the strength of a five-run fourth, but Chamberlain stormed back with its own five-run bottom of the frame. Luis Valentin-Ramos and Christian Skaggs drove in two runs apiece for the Longhorns. Skaggs ripped two doubles in two at-bats and scored twice.
The Longhorns look to get a win, traveling to play 1-4 Lakewood Ranch on Mar. 4 in a district game, host the one-win Morgan Mustangs on Mar. 5 and travel to face the red-hot East Bay Indians on Mar. 10.
Morgan had a tough run against the Plants, losing 13-0 at Plant City on Feb. 24 and getting shutout in Plant (5-3) 12-0. The Mustangs had a better showing, albeit still a loss, only allowing five runs to Hillsborough on Saturday in Wimauma. They also ended a 10-inning scoreless streak when Sandy Trinidad drove in a first inning run for the Mustangs. Morgan got a strong effort on the mound from Felix Polanco who did not surrender an earned run in three innings of work.
The Mustangs face off at South Shore rival Lennard on Mar. 5, host Steinbrenner on Saturday at 10A and travel to Newsome on Mar. 10.
Riverview continued to struggle, dropping an 11-1 road game to a Bloomingdale squad that continues to roll at 6-1. P. Newman doubled and Yandiel Rivera-Morales drove in Newman for the team’s only run. The Sharks welcomed Sickles on Feb. 26 and scored eight, but lost 18-8 to the 5-2 Gryphons. Bryan Barrios doubled and drove in two of the Sharks eight runs. Justin Edwards and Peyton Newman also doubled for Riverview. The Sharks wrapped up the week at home on Saturday and dropped a 4-2 decision to undefeated Wharton. Newman had two hits and scored a run in the loss, and Rivera-Morales was credited with an RBI.
Riverview, after a 2-1 start, has dropped its last five games in facing a tough stretch stacked with strong competition.
The Sharks will be searching to get back in the win column with a road contest against district rival Durant on Mar. 5 and then hosting South Shore opponent Sumner on Mar. 10.
Spoto, in its only game of the week, traveled to Newsome and lost 11-3 to the Wolves in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Eli Sims went 2-4 and drove in a run, and Ryker Luna doubled and scored in the loss. Sims also contributed on the mound, tossing three innings, giving up two earned runs and striking out four.
Lennard senior Mikie Locke takes a cut in Feb. 24 game vs. South Shore rival Sumner.
The Spartans will look to turn around their fate, playing at Sumner on Mar. 5, hosting Robinson on Saturday at 10A and staying home to play Plant City on Mar. 10.
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