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Citrus Park coach Seton McNulty said he knew it would be a hard road for his team to repeat as city champions in major baseball.
"After we won our park, I told the kids that we're not good enough yet," he said. "That's why they worked hour after hour, four hours a day for 10 days. We knew we were different from last year, when we had so many standout players; that we had to play as a team and contribute in every way."
The hard work paid off Sunday for Citrus Park as it beat Tampa Bay 8-5 to capture its second straight Lorenzo "Tapi" Rodriguez championship with just four players from last year's team. Anthony Rinard and Shane Huckaby hit home runs a day after Tampa Bay defeated Citrus Park 7-6. It was the second straight year Citrus Park beat Tampa Bay in the final.
"When Tampa Bay played in its park tournament, I watched because I knew we had to prepare for them," McNulty said. "Tampa Bay is coached very well, and I knew they would be there. So I watched them and nobody else. I've faced them three years in a row (two in majors and one minors)."
Citrus Park had some drama along the way. Tyler Marciniak's home run gave it a 6-5 victory in seven innings against Palma Ceia in the first round.
The mammoth blast traveled more than 250 feet, striking a player in the outfield on the junior field. From there, sound defense and solid pitching carried Citrus Park undefeated through Field B.
Citrus Park allowed two runs in its next three games to advance to the final. Rinard, Huckaby and Seton McNulty provided steady defense up the middle, and McNulty pitched a complete game three-hitter in a 5-0 shutout of Interbay in the bracket final.
Tampa Bay had to battle some adversity of its own. A loss to Bayshore in its second game forced it to fight through the losers' bracket. Tampa Bay knocked off Keystone, West Tampa and the Yellow Jackets to get another shot at Bayshore.
Tampa Bay had to beat Bayshore two straight games to get to the final. It did that then needed to do the same against Citrus Park. Tampa Bay held on for the one-run victory Saturday. But the two homers and solid pitching by Huckaby ended Tampa Bay's run Sunday.
"(Saturday), we came out flat, not focused, and we didn't play our "A' game," McNulty said. "Sunday, we were at it again with excellent pitching from Shane Huckaby.
"That's the second time in back-to-back years he's done that to them."