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Led by its youth, Ridgewood reaches 4A final in fundamental style.
By JAMAL THALJI, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 16, 2002
TAMPA -- Baseball? Try Beetsball.
Unranked, unheralded Ridgewood upset mighty Dunedin 3-1 Wednesday night, felling StudentSports.com's No. 1-ranked team in the nation. But is anybody with a Pasco County zip code really surprised by this momentous victory?
All the Rams did in the Class 4A state semifinal at Legends Field was practice the kind of simple, fundamental and effective brand of baseball preached for 19 years by coach/guru Larry Beets. Leave it to Beets to engineer the first defeat of an unbeaten team in the state tournament since 1983.
Back in New Port Richey, it's called Beetsball, and it's why Ridgewood will battle Jacksonville Bishop Kenny, ranked No. 5 in the 4A poll, for the state championship tonight at 7.
Ridgewood even overcame three errors, two by shortstop Richie Hittel. Check out Exhibit A, the fifth inning, when the Rams rallied from a 1-0 deficit, a rally led by, of all players, underclassmen, and in Ridgewood's first trip to state, no less.
Josh Rose opened the top of the fifth by sending a single hopping down the first base line. Jon Koenigsfeld was up next and bunted. Dunedin pitcher Ryan Harvey fielded the bunt but overthrew first baseman Brian Dopirak, sending the ball to shallow right as Dunedin committed its second error. With runners on first and second, leadoff hitter Josh Le'Roy belted a 1-1 pitch past a diving Matt Gregory at second base, who was playing on the infield grass, singling in Rose and Koenigsfeld to give Ridgewood a 2-1 lead. In order, a sophomore, freshman and sophomore put the Rams on top for the first time.
Pinch-hitter Corey Opalka struck out on a bunt for the first out. Hittel singled, moving Le'Roy to second. Then Harvey's pitch got past catcher Gene Novak, allowing Le'Roy and Hittel to move up a base each. Then Harvey walked Monte Werner, as Ridgewood loaded the bases with one out.
Harvey recovered his composure, and caught John Servidio looking for the second out. But then Harvey walked Danny Lotz with a high fastball, sending Le'Roy home to pad Ridgewood's lead to a decisive 3-1.
Aaron McLamar belted a fast ground ball down the leftfield line that could have cleared the bases, but it was called foul. He went down swinging to end the inning with the bases still loaded, but the Rams already had done all the damage they would need.