TAMPA - Jacksonville Providence coach Bill Bell sat in the interview room at Legends Field on Tuesday and stated that he thought Brito Miami Private was the best team in Class A. Perhaps the Stallions should get a better public relations guy and let Bell concentrate on his coaching duties because he's pretty good at that.
Providence scored four runs in the third inning and added seven in the seventh to whip the defending state champions 13-1 to win the Class A title. It is the first state championship for Providence.
"They are still the best Class A program in the state," Bell said. "Just not this year."
Providence (27-2) sent 12 batters to the plate in the seventh, took advantage of five walks and got a two-run double from Blake Gerber to score the final seven runs.
The loss in the championship game was a rare one for Brito, which finished 28-6. The Panthers, who began the season with a 19-game winning streak and recorded 18 shutouts, have won four titles since 1996. Earlier this season, Brito was ranked No. 2 in the nation.
None of that mattered Tuesday in the second or fourth innings, when Brito failed to score despite having the bases loaded and one out. The Panthers also had a runner on third base with one out in the third but didn't score.
