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© St. Petersburg Times, published May 16, 2002
TAMPA -- Bartow found itself in unfamiliar territory Wednesday.
Not because the Yellow Jackets won (they've been doing a lot of that lately), but because of how they did it. In four of its previous five games, Bartow advanced in its final at-bat. That wasn't necessary this time.
The Yellow Jackets rocked Crystal River starter Jimmy Metz for eight hits and seven earned runs, scoring three in the third and four in the fifth on Chad Lewis' grand slam, to win with surprising ease, 7-1.
"It was kind of boring," Bartow centerfielder Tarrence Patterson said. "All of our games have been going down to the seventh inning."
Bartow (22-10) last played for a state title in 1940 and hasn't claimed a championship since 1924, when it was known as Summerlin Institute.
"We had a good scouting report on their guys and I felt like our kids executed well," Yellow Jackets coach Michael Ferguson said.
Crystal River (30-4), which went 7-21 two years ago, entered with a .416 batting average, but was held to three hits by Bartow starter Tim McKay (6-1), who struck out 10 and went the distance. The Pirates had four hits in their final 14 innings of 2002.
At the plate, Bartow solved Metz (12-2), something no previous Crystal River opponent had done. The Yellow Jackets slugged three hits in the third and went ahead 3-0 on Patterson's two-out steal of home.
On two singles and a walk, they loaded the bases in the fifth, which set the stage for Lewis, who cranked a first-pitch fastball from Metz into a stiff wind over the leftfield wall. The homer was Lewis' first of the season and the first allowed by Metz since he was in the 10th grade.
Lewis had 4 RBIs in the team's first 31 games.
"I went up there with the attitude of putting the ball in play," Lewis said. "I thought it was foul."
Metz walked three batters and hit four more. He allowed as many earned runs in five innings as he did all season. Crystal River's defense also was off. The Pirates committed three errors and allowed six stolen bases.
"We just didn't come to play," Crystal River coach Brent Hall said. "I don't believe nerves had anything to do with it. More than anything, it was concentration. ... It was just one of those days when we did absolutely no phase of the game well. That falls on my shoulders."