BROOKSVILLE - When opposing hitters step into the batter's box against Central's Jimmy Jones, a 6-foot-2 left-hander with long arms and size 16 shoes, "they can't believe Sasquatch is pitching against them," Bears coach Jim Jensen said.
But at times this season, Jones has more closely resembled another legendary character: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
"Right now, he's in this little pattern where he'll have a good outing, then a not-so-good outing, then back to a good outing," Jensen said.
Jones' most recent performance was the latter, as he pitched 52/3 innings of near-flawless relief in a 9-3 victory over Nature Coast Tech. After replacing Jimmy Goodworth with two on and one out in the second, Jones struck out the next two batters. He finished with nine strikeouts and two walks.
Earlier, Jones threw five innings of shutout ball against Hudson before the Cobras reached him for two runs in a 2-0 Bears' loss. He struck out 13 and did not walk a batter. Jones, a junior, throws an active fastball and good curve. He uses a splitter as his off-speed pitch. Control and delivery problems contributed to a 9.00 earned-run average early in the season, but a couple of strong outings lowered it to 4.53.
"He's got the best stuff on our team," Jensen said. "If all our pitchers are on, he's the most dominating. But when he's bad, he's bad, so we've got to find him a little bit more on the consistency. Sometimes, the plate jumps around on him."
YOUNG GUN: With an opportunity to take control of the race for the top seed in Class A, District 5, Hernando Christian Academy coach Mike Ellison isn't taking any chances today against Ocala St. John Lutheran.
That's why he will hand the ball to seventh-grader Robbie Taylor.
Taylor has good control and keeps the ball down, traits that earned him starts against junior varsity squads from Hernando, Central and Springstead. In a 16-9 victory over The Villages, Taylor got out of the first inning with eight pitches and the second with 10.
"Any kind of pitcher who gets the ball up around the belt, batters have a tendency to tee off on it," Ellison said.
If Taylor falters, another option is junior Jeff Warren, who pitched a one-hitter, striking out four, in a 10-0 victory over The Villages that umpires stopped after four innings.
"He really surprised me how well he did," Ellison said. "He kept the ball down in the strike zone."
NOTABLE: With a five-game hitting streak, Central's Kevin Brennan upped his average to .393. ... Through 11 games, Jeff Oleson led Hernando with a .400 average and 10 runs batted in. ... Springstead added a home game against Gulf on April 28 at 6:30 p.m.
