TAMPA - In its first time advancing beyond Saladino Tournament pool play, Alonso (9-3) defeated Jefferson 3-0 to become the No.1 wild card.
Solid pitching by senior Matt Stephenson (4-0), who allowed five hits and struck out five, complemented five doubles by four players. Chris Whelan's double in the second inning drove home Michael Harley, and the Ravens scored again in the fifth when Michael Diaz stole home as Harley got caught in a rundown.
In the seventh, Chris Harley scored on Dave DelGuercio's second double. In the bottom of that inning, Jefferson (6-5) loaded the bases but could not score before the final batter was thrown out.
Also, Tampa Catholic preserved first place in its division with a 4-3 victory over Brandon. Crusaders catcher Ralph Alvarez hit the winning home run to leftfield in the third and sharp defense kept Tampa Catholic (6-5) undefeated in the tournament.
Brandon (4-8) started strong, scoring two in the first after Crusaders starting pitcher Mike Blanco loaded the bases on two walks and a fielding error.
TC took control in the second when third baseman Shawn Soler drove home Jimmy Ansell and Andrew Dixon on a double, then took third on a throw. He scored on a passed ball to put Tampa Catholic in the lead.
A single by Brandon's Justin Ball scored Josh Russell in the top of the third, but TC answered on Alvarez's homer. Pitchers Jorge Gonzalez, Dixon and Justin Helicke held off the Eagles for the remainder of the game.
