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Youth league teams have mixed results
By BRANT JAMES, Times Staff Writer The Hernando Youth League team in the Dixie League Majors State Tournament remained alive in the losers' bracket and played host Avon Park on Monday night. The HYL Pre-Majors were swept from their double-elimination state tourney at Chipley over the weekend, however. The Majors, a squad of 17- and 18-year-olds from Central, Hernando and Springstead high schools, opened the tourney Saturday with a 6-5 win over Sebring in eight innings. They lost 8-1 to Suwannee County on Sunday. Fred Farmer gave Hernando the victory against Sebring with a bases-loaded single. Brad Wyatt had led off the inning with a single before Keiv Huff walked, and pitcher Sean Steele reached on a sacrifice bunt that was allowed to roll and stayed fair. Steele earned the victory in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Alex Hensley lost against Suwannee County. The Majors are three wins from the final in the losers' bracket. "Right now I feel real confident," coach Donnie Whitehead said. "We're set up with a one-win-you're-in philosophy. "The only pitcher we've really had to burn was Wyatt the first day," Whitehead said. "He pitched 6 1/3 innings and pitched well enough to win. But we've got everybody else ready to go." The 15- and 16-year-old Pre-Majors lost 10-1 to Marion County in their opener before falling 9-8 to Tallahassee Messer Park in eight innings. Seth Noe went 2-for-3 and singled in the tying run in the top of the seventh, but Messer Park reached reliever Ryan Cook for the winner the next inning. Cook was the losing pitcher in both games. Michael Bedwell and Chris Bunn went 2-for-3 for Hernando. Coach Tim Sims was pleased with an inexperienced squad that showed a lot of heart. "Hustle-wise, I could not have asked for any more," Sims said. "They're just at an age when they need more playing time and physical maturity. "We're going to challenge them to be competitive with one another. If they keep the same amount of intensity, they could eventually be a very good team." Marion County and Messer Park were comprised of multiple schools -- four in the case of Marion County. The HYL team basically was the Hernando High junior varsity, as Central and Springstead's younger players competed in a Pasco-Hillsborough county American Legion circuit this summer. "We tried to be realistic," Sims said. "Our goal was to take the effort they were putting in and give it a direction." -- Brant James can be reached at (800) 333-7505, ext. 1407. Send e-mail to brant@sptimes.com.
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