Player of the Day
Colton Croft, Broken Arrow
2-4, 2B, 1 R, 5 RBI
1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K
Pitcher of the Day
Brad Verel, Broken Arrow
4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 7 K
Broken Arrow 13
Lincoln 3
A late inning push from the Broken Arrow offense turned a close game into a blowout as the Tigers defeated the Lincoln Trojans 13-3 in the opening game of Day 3 at the FHSI Showcase.
Ryan Jenkins (LHS) and Brad Verel (BA) traded scoreless innings in the first and second. Verel was especially impressive, with five of his first six outs coming via the strikeout.
The Tigers would get the offense going in the top of the third with a walk to Brady Bean and a single by Landon Hulet. With two outs, Colton Croft would step up and deliver a two-run double. He would then come in to score one batter later on an error, making the score 3-0. Lincoln would get one run back in the bottom half of the inning on a sac fly from Ryan Hagen that scored Connor Burk.
The fourth inning would see more offense from Broken Arrow. Riley Hatthorn scored on a bases loaded fielder’s choice to score the first run of the inning before Colton Croft delivered a two-run single a few batters later, making it 6-1. In the bottom of the fourth, Travis Hall showcased his power stroke with a solo shot to make it 6-2, followed by Josiah Miller scoring on a double steal to make it 6-3.
The Tigers would put the game away in the fifth inning thanks in large part to sloppy defensive play from Lincoln. They would score a total of seven runs in the inning on three hits and four errors. CJ Ivy, Brady Bean, Mack Chambers , Colton Croft, and Peyton Launius all recorded RBIs in the inning. After Lincoln failed to score in the bottom half, the game was called due to the ten-run rule.
Verel earned the win for Broken Arrow, striking out seven in four innings while giving up six hits. Colton Croft pitched the final frame for the Tigers, and was also 2-4 with a run and five RBI at the plate. Bo Seccombe was 2-2 to lead the Trojan attack.
Orangewood 5
Florida High 1
Orangewood relied on a strong start from Patrick Yost and the bat of Ethan Garrido to defeat The Florida High Seminoles by a score of 5-1 on Wednesday.
The Rams were able to strike early in the first inning. Michael Spears would leadoff with a walk, and move to second on a bunt and then to third on a groundball to the right side. A wild pitch would bring him two batters later. After a scoreless second inning, the Seminoles were able to knot things up in the bottom of the third when an RBI double from Tanner Godwin plated Makel Young, who had doubled in the previous at bat.
Orangewood was quick to respond in the top of the fourth as Garrido came through with a two out single to score Jeremiah Davis, who had reached on a leadoff walk. Both teams would strand multiple runners on base in each half inning until the sixth. Jake Leiffer led the inning off with a double, moved to third on a groundball and scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1. Trent Lawrence would then start another rally, reaching on a base hit. Garrido wasted no time scoring him on a double to push the Rams score to four. A pair of errors would allow Garrido to come across, making it 5-1, where it would stay final.
Patrick Yost tossed 4.1 innings for Orangewood, allowing one run on six hits. Garrido closed out the final 2.2 innings, giving up two hits and a walk while striking out one. Jonathan Campbell pitched four innings for the Seminoles and took the loss.
Garrido would finish the day 3-3 with a double, run scored and two RBI. Tanner Godwin was 2-3 with a double and an RBI to lead the Florida High offense. The Rams move to 1-1 for the tournament, while the Seminoles now carry a record of 0-2.
Palmetto Ridge 8
Osceola 3
One big inning from the Palmetto Ridge offense gave them plenty of room to hold on to a big win over the Osceola Kowboys on Wednesday night.
Julian Rivera (OHS) and Jose Rodriguez (PR) kept the game scoreless through the first two innings, though it wasn’t easy. Osceola managed to load the bases against Rodriguez in the second, but left three men stranded. The first runs of the game wouldn’t come across until the bottom of the third.
The Bears managed six runs on four hits and a couple of errors by the Osceola defense. A Kenny Geiger fielder’s choice, Adrian Soler single, a big three run double from Stephen Gomez and an error during Rodriguez’s at bat put a touchdown on the board for Palmetto Ridge. The game would remain at 6-0 until the sixth inning when the Kowboys attempted a comeback of their own.
After Andre Walden reached on a fielder’s choice, he was brought in on a single from Giancarlos Rios. After a pitching change, a sac fly from Alejandro Rodriguez would plate Alex Vazquez, who had singled earlier in the inning. The third run came on a walk to Dallas Beaver with the bases loaded. Herbert Iser, who smashed two home runs the previous day, stepped up as the potential go-ahead run. Relief pitcher Jeff Pelletier was able to quell the rally by forcing Iser to pop out and keep the score at 6-3. A two-run single from Alex Sweigart in the bottom of the inning would make the score 8-3, where it would stay for the remainder of the game.
Jose Rodriguez earned the win after pitching 5.1 innings, allowing seven hits and three runs, though none were earned. He had four strikeouts on the day. Julian Rivera took a tough loss, as he allowed six runs with only one being earned. Jacob Fitts and Alex Sweigart each went 3-4 for the Bears, and Stephen Gomez drove in three runs to lead the offense. Drew Beaver reached base three times (single, two walks) to pace the Kowboys.
Thursday’s Schedule:
10:30 am Maclay vs. Barron Collier
1:00 pm Palmetto Ridge vs. Florida High
3:30 pm North Florida Christian vs. Okeechobee
6:00 pm Orangewood vs. Broken Arrow