Player of the Day: Corey Robinson, Spruce Creek
Pitcher of the Day: Karl Hartman, Rockledge
Key West 15
Spruce Creek 13
If you like a lot of runs, then this was the game for you! In one of the craziest games in 14 year history of the FHSI, Key West survived with a 15-13 win to finish at the top of Pool A.
Landon Lowe got this one started for Key West with a two run double in the top of the first inning, and came around to score on a wild pitch for a 3-0 lead. Spruce Creek would answer back in the bottom of the inning which would be a big theme in this game. The Hawks would load the bases and score two runs on a walk and HBP before Rhett Foster ripped a two run double. Another run would score on an RBI ground out to make it 5-3 Spruce Creek after one.
The Conchs would then give Spruce Creek a taste of their own medicine when they scored three consecutive runs on bases load walk-HBP-walk before a sac fly would make it 7-5 Key West. Key West would march right back with and scored two runs on some errors to tie it all up 7-7.
Both teams had a scoreless third before Key West would score two more runs for a 9-7 lead on a couple of RBI groundouts from Lowe and Michael Alfonso. On the third pitch in the bottom of the inning, Corey Robinson would hit a moon shot to get the Hawks down by one after four.
The second and final scoreless frame of the game would happen in the fifth when neither team could score, but Key West would start that up again in the sixth when Daniel Varela would hit a two run single followed shortly by a two run double from Anden Rady for a 13-8 lead. Corey Robinson would step up to the plate for Spruce Creek and hit his second homer of the day to start the rally in the bottom of the inning. A few batters later Brandon Neely would hit a three run homer to left field to get the Hawks within one again before heading into the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, the Conchs would score on a bases loaded walk followed by an RBI single from Varela to extend their lead to 15-12. Corey Robinson would throw out a potential 16th run at the plate. In the bottom of the seventh, Spruce Creek would load up the bases and get another run home on a sac fly, but ran out of magic there for a 15-13 final.
Key West wins Pool A with that thriller, and will be the home team in their first round match up against the Pool B Runner-Up. Their game will start at 7:00pm on Thursday in Sanford. Spruce Creek will get a chance at redemption in the tournament as they will play the Pool B winner at 4:30pm on Thursday in Sanford. The winners of these games tomorrow will play for the 2021 Showcase Championship on Friday!
University 0
Rockledge 10
Early on, this game was the exact opposite of the first game of the day. Brady Skradski drove in the only run in the first 3.5 innings with a double in the bottom of the second for a 1-0 Rockledge lead. The tone of this game would completely change in the bottom of the fourth inning thought when the Raiders put up eight runs on five hits.
Rockledge loaded up the bases with one out before Caden Townsend took a bases loaded walk for a run. Skradski would drive in his second run of the day on a sharp single to left to make it a 3-0 lead. Logan Amick would take a bases loaded walk and Chase Leblanc would take a HBP for two more runs before Aaron Saltsman just missed a grand slam to dead center, settling for a two run double to make it 7-0. After Kai Aravena drove in the eighth run on a sac fly, Stephen Wojcik would be the seventh consecutive batter in the lineup to drive in a run with a single up the middle for a 9-0 lead after four. Leblanc would end the game in the fifth inning with a single to right field to enforce the ten run rule for the victory.
Karl Hartman was masterful on the mound for the Raiders. Because of the 10-0 run rule, he would ultimately record a complete game shut out, only giving up one hit, one walk, and striking out six over his five innings of work.
Rockledge won Pool B with that win, and they will be the home team in their first round match up against Spruce Creek at 4:30pm on Thursday in Sanford. University will look to bounce back against Key West on Thursday night in Sanford at 7:00pm. The winners of these two games tomorrow will play for the 2021 Showcase Championship on Friday!