PLAYER OF THE DAY: Casey Page, Hillcrest 3-3, 2B, 3 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, SB
PITCHER OF THE DAY:
Spencer Strider, Christian Academy Knoxville
CG, 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 18 K
Harmony 3 East Ridge 2 Box Score
The Harmony Longhorns kicked off the 2017 FHSI Showcase with a 3-2 victory over the East Ridge Knights on Monday morning at Sanford Memorial Stadium.
The scoring started in the bottom of the first when Jackson Sibbitt reached on a two-out walk, and moved to third on a single by Sage McCoy. The inning seemed to be over when the next batter hit a groundball to the second baseman, but a throwing error allowed Sibbitt to come around to score.
The third inning saw both teams swap runs. East Ridge scored when courtesy runner Najer Victor scored from second base on an infield single off the bat of Bradley Donelick. In the bottom of the inning, Sibbitt reached o a single and moved to second on a balk. An Erick Hernandez single put him on third, and he would come around to score on a wild pitch shortly thereafter. Each team would add another run, but starter Justin David and relief pitcher Blake Matheny kept Harmony on top for good.
David was masterful on the mound for the Longhorns, tossing five innings of three-hit baseball. He allowed two runs (one earned) and struck out six batters to earn the win. Matheny pitched two innings of scoreless relief to earn the save. Bradley Donelick took the loss for the Knights, but managed to drive in both runs for East Ridge at the plate.
University 6 Montverde 1 Box Score
Behind a strong performance from Cameron Robinson and a late rally, the University Titans earned a 6-1 win over the Montverde Eagles on Monday morning.
Both Robinson and Montverde starter Saul Gonzalez kept both the offenses at bay through three innings, allowing a combined two hits. University broke through for a run in the bottom of the fourth when Logan Allen, who had reached on a double, came around to score on a Nathan Peden single. The damage could have been worse, but Montverde centerfielder Trevor Calendaria threw out a second base runner trying to score on the play.
The Titans then broke the game wide open in the fifth inning with a two out rally. A walk to Slade Brown, followed by a Jackson Roberts single, Logan Allen single, Jacob Molle single, and a two-run triple from Timothy Dixon made the score 5-0. The two teams traded a run each in the sixth for a final score of 6-1.
Robinson gave up one run on four hits over six innings of work to earn the win. He struck out five batters. Gonzalez took the moss for Montverde over 4.2 innings of work. On a high note, he managed seven strikeouts in his outing. Offensively, the Titans were led by Logan Allen (3-3, double, two runs, one RBI) and Tim Dixon (2-3, triple, two RBI). Omar vigil and Trevor Candelaria each had two hits to lead the Eagles.
Christian Academy of Knoxville 2
Florida High 0
In what is most likely the most dominant start in the history of the FHSI tournament, the CAK Warriors defeated the Florida High Seminoles 2-0 on Monday afternoon.
CAK starter Spencer Strider put on his best stuff in front of a dozen or so scouts at Seminole High School, firing a seven inning, complete game no-hitter. More impressive than the no hits ... strikeouts accounted for 18 of the 21 recorded outs.
A Garrett Breeden double and Cole Campbell single in the top of the first inning provided all of the offense Strider would need. Besides a walk in the third and the seventh, the senior righty was flawless, striking out the side in the second, fourth, sixth and seventh innings. Only 22 batters stepped into the box against Strider, one over the minimum on the day. Strider is committed to play at Clemson University in the fall.
Seabreeze 6
Lake Minneola 5
The Seabreeze Sandcrabs battled hard all game long and came away with a one-run victory over the Lake Minneola Hawks thanks to a late inning rally.
Seabreeze started the scoring in the second inning with a pair of runs courtesy of a Jacob Wagers RBI single and a wild pitch. Lake Minneola was quick to answer with two of their own runs. TJ Kendall singled in Sergio Singh, and Cameron Recny came across after a fielding error by the third baseman.
Recny drew a bases loaded walk in the third inning for an RBI, but the Hawks lead was short lived as the Sandcrabs got the run back in the fourth thanks to a Brett Cormier double. Recny was once again behind the Hawks next rally in the fifth, driving in a run with a double and then scoring on another single from Kendall.
After the first two hitters of the top of the sixth were put out, it seemed that Seabreeze's day may be done. However, they put together a furious rally to take the lead. Cormier and Curtis Tarus each singled, and Robert Bell was intentionally walked to load the bases. That brought Dennis Filipovski to the plate, who promptly doubled on the first pitch he saw, clearing the bases, and giving the Crabs a 6-5 lead. Ronnie Perez held the Hawks scoreless in the sixth, and Filipovski shut the door in the seventh to secure the win.
Perez picked up the win with three innings of relief work, allowing two hits and two runs (one earned). Filipovski ended his day 2-4 at the plate with a run and three RBI. Tarus was 3-4 with a run scored. The Hawks offense was led by TJ Kendall who went 3-4 with two RBI and a stolen base.
Barron Collier 14
Maclay 4
The Barron Collier Cougars coupled a powerful offense with six errors from Maclay to earn a 14-4 mercy rule victory on Monday night.
The Cougars offense was hot from the start, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. After Maclay managed to tie the game at three in the third inning, it looked like a close ballgame. The Cougars had other thoughts however, scoring five in the fourth, two in the fifth and four more in the sixth to seal a ten-run mercy rule win. While they did pound out twelve hits, Barron Collier was helped by multiple defensive miscues from Maclay; of their fourteen runs, only six were earned.
Four Cougars had multiple hits, including Dylan Doria, who reached base all five times he came to the plate and scored three times. Nick Denove earned the win for Barron Collier, throwing 5.1 innings to the tune of three hits, four runs (two earned), two walks and eight strikeouts. Matt Boynton, who took the loss for Maclay, was 2-3 at the plate with an RBI to lead the Marauders.
Hillcrest 8 Flagler Palm Coast 1 Box Score
The final game of the day saw a tremendous performance from Hillcrest starter Garrett McMillan as the Patriots topped the Flagler Palm Coast Bulldogs 8-1.
With McMillan dealing, the Bulldogs didn't need much offense to secure the win. However, they jumped on the board early with the help of leadoff man Casey Page. He scored in the first inning on a wild pitch, then drove in teammate Hunter Kamplain with a double in the second. FPC put a run across in the fourth thanks to an error, but the Patriots quickly responded when ... you guessed it ... Page came across to score on a Colby Smelley double. The game was put out of reach in the sixth when Hillcrest tacked on four more runs for the final 8-1 score.
McMillan was strong throughout, going the distance. He allowed more than four batters in an inning just one time, and had zero earned runs against him. McMillan scattered five Bulldog hits, walked one and struck out eight. On offense, Page led the way, going 3-3 with a double, three runs, one RBI, two walks and a stolen base. D'Emiliano Whiters was 1-3 with a run and a stolen base for Flagler Palm Coast.