Preps

Middleton not out of surprises

TAMPA -- Lightly-regarded Middleton continued its improbable run through the tournament Wednesday, upsetting Hillsborough 4-2.

"This is a really good feeling," Tigers coach Larry Doby Johnson said. "No matter if you're a 5- or 6- or 7-year-old kid playing ball, if you play the game the way it's supposed to be played, good things will happen."

And good things happened in abundance for Middleton, a first-year program with no seniors. When the Tigers needed a big hit, Mark Gildea got it. When they needed a key defensive play, Stoney Woodson came through. And when a quality pitch was necessary, starter Ryan Moore delivered.

"We'd never beaten these guys, so this is a huge win," Moore said. "We just wanted to keep a positive attitude."

Moore scattered six hits and struck out one in a complete-game effort that advanced the Tigers to today's semifinals against Plant at 5 p.m.

Middleton set the tone early, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Mark Gildea's one-out triple off Hillsborough starter Chris Noriega scored Joshua Johnson. Corey McFadden then flew out to centerfield, but catcher Cory Sylvester couldn't handle David Veale's throw, allowing Gildea to tag and score.

Gildea's third-inning RBI double drove in Woodson, making it 3-0. Woodson tripled in the fifth and came home on a McFadden single to make it 4-0.

Meanwhile, Moore was finding his comfort zone. Four of the Terriers' six hits came in the first two innings, but Moore faced the minimum during the next three.

"(Moore) pitched magnificent today," Doby Johnson said. "He gave everything out there."

But Moore ran into trouble in the sixth, walking leadoff batter Frankie Collazo. Michael Garcia drove Collazo home with a double to cut the deficit to 4-1 before Daniel Garcia's single put runners on the corners.

Devon Cason hit a line drive toward leftfield, but Woodson snared the ball at third base, holding runners on first and third with two outs. Moore then induced a popup, but second baseman McFadden dropped the ball, allowing a run to score to make it 4-2.

"I'm just so, so proud of these guys," Doby Johnson said. "It was just like David and Goliath and we chopped off Goliath's head."

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