Place an Ad Calendars Classified Forums Sports Weather

sptimes.com Text-only News sections Arts & Entertainment AP The Wire Business Citrus County Columnists Floridian Hernando County Hillsborough Letters Movies Neighborhood Times News Update North Pinellas North of Tampa Obituaries Opinion Pasco County South Pinellas Sports State Tampa Bay TV Times World & Nation  Find your local news section Weekly sections Brandon Times City Times Homes Outdoors Perspective Personal Tech Taste Travel Weekend Xpress Special Sections Arena football Buccaneers College football Devil Rays Lightning Police reports Schools Seniority Subscriber Services Subscribe Renew Help Advertise Place an ad In print Online Market Info Join Us Internships Scholarships Times Jobs Contact us

Hillsborough prep baseball roundup

By Times staff reports
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 4, 2002

Bulls win despite travel, sickness

Bloomingdale's surprising ride through the playoffs continued three hours from home Friday with a 4-3 victory over Taravella.

That makes two Bloomingdale playoff victories in less than four days at schools more than 250 miles away.

It also means Bloomingdale improved to 15-15 despite fighting a team-wide stomach virus that had Friday's night's starter, Chris Kemper, sick on his back the two previous days.

Nonetheless, Kemper threw five innings, giving up three runs. Ryan Strauss cleaned up the final two innings to get the save and push the Bulls into Tuesday's region final against Sarasota, which defeated Parkland Douglas 3-2.

Strauss also hit a two-run homer in the fourth to give the Bulls a 2-1 lead. He followed up with his third RBI in the fifth.

-- SCOTT PURKS

Big inning carries Lancers

TAMPA -- Seminole Presbyterian coach John Pizzio saw enough.

When his team beat Bradenton Saint Stephen's 4-2 the last week of the regular season, he saw enough to get the line on the Falcons: a hard swinging, fastball hitting team.

Fast forward to Friday and Seminole Presbyterian pitcher Mark Brown. Usually a fastball pitcher, Pizzio had Brown avoid the fastball, mix up a variety of pitches and hope to keep Saint Stephen's off guard. The plan worked as Seminole Presbyterian rallied from an early deficit, put together one huge inning and rode that combination to a 10-6 victory.

The Lancers improved to 28-5 and advance to the region final to face powerhouse Northside Christian, which advanced after smashing All Saints' Academy 13-0.

The Falcons opened a 3-0 lead in the second after a Jake Brooks triple scored two runs. Then Brooks scored when Steve Manenbach hit a double down the first base line. But the Lancers would answer in a big way.

Seminole Presbyterian took the lead in the bottom half of the inning when it sent 11 batters to the plate, collected six hits and two walks, scored eight runs and seized control of the contest. William Long, Justin Craig, Jarad DeVivgilis, Eric Perez and Brown all had hits in the inning.

The Falcons managed two runs in the third to close the margin to 8-5, but got no closer.

-- ROD GIPSON

Plant rally not enough

ESTERO -- Estero answered a seventh-inning Plant rally with a rally of its own to win 7-6.

With the bases loaded and the scored tied 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh, Estero designated hitter Willie Edge hit a single to rightfield to drive in the winning run.

Plant ends its season 23-5, but not after a fight where it scored four in the top of the seventh to tie it.

-- DAVID DORSEY

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright