TAMPA - J.P. Goldsberry didn't have time to ponder the situation. When an opposing infielder nonchalantly held the ball at second with his back to home with two outs in the fifth, the Tampa Prep star instinctively headed for home.
"I thought it was an opening I could get after," Goldsberry said.
The throw home wasn't close, and Goldsberry's run gave his squad a lead it would not relinquish. Goldsberry did the rest on the mound, overpowering Fort Myers Canterbury much of the night in a 6-2 Terrapins win.
"I think our team was waiting for a big inning," Goldsberry said.
Tampa Prep (17-10) plays at Winter Park Trinity Prep on Friday. Before Tuesday the Terrapins' previous playoff victory was in 1999. The program has never advanced past the second round, and without Goldsberry's contributions Tampa Prep might not be in position to do so.
The junior hurler allowed six hits and added three of his own. In addition to his fifth-inning score, he had Tampa Prep's first run, which came in the third on a single to centerfield by Craig Federer.
"He stepped up and showed what he's about," Terrapins coach A.J. Hendrix said.
Tampa Prep trailed 2-1 starting the fifth, but with one out and two men on Brad Buchman hit a ball through the legs of shortstop Joey Betts, which scored a run. Canterbury recorded an out at second on the throw-in, but that's when Goldsberry raced in to make it 3-2. The Terrapins added three more runs in the inning behind singles from Rob Goldsberry and Matt Hebert.
"It was a heads-up play," Hendrix said of Goldsberry's dash for home. "He also had a great performance on the mound."
Goldsberry's only pitching troubles came in the fourth, when Canterbury (11-11) had two singles and a double and scored twice. After Tampa Prep retook the lead, he retired six consecutive batters to end the game.
KEITH NIEBUHR
6A: Bulls hang on
Bloomingdale used heady base running, timely hitting, and strong relief pitching to turn back Kissimmee Osceola 5-4 and advance.
Ryan Strauss, in relief of winner Paul McClay, came on to get two strikeouts and earn the save. McClay (11-0) scattered eight hits, all singles, in six innings.
"I think what coach did tonight, bringing in Ryan, was great," McClay said. "I don't think I threw three fastballs all night, and then to see Ryan come in and throw 90 miles an hour, they had no time at all to adjust to it."
"We hadn't used (Strauss) in a save situation all year, but I just thought the change in that last inning would help us win," Bloomingdale coach K. B. Scull said.
Shortstop Mitch Rodriguez was the hitting and base-running spark Bloomingdale (23-4) needed. He doubled in the first and scored from second on an infield error to put the Bulls up 1-0. He also singled in a run in the second, and his clutch two-out double to the rightfield corner in the fifth drove in Brendan Kibler with the winning run.
"He was pitching me away all game, so I just waited on the pitch and got a good piece of it," Rodriguez said of his winning RBI.
Bloomingdale jumped to an early 4-0 lead only to see the visitors tie it in the top of the fourth. In the fifth inning the keystone combination of Rodriguez and Tony Thomas turned a difficult double play to end an Osceola threat.
"Our strength all year, as with any good team, has been up the middle, and tonight they really came through for us," Scull said.
- JIM REESE
4A: Jefferson ousted
TAMPA - Lake Wales pitcher Wade Davis helped his cause with a key leadoff homer in the sixth to eliminate Jefferson 6-4.
The 6-foot-4 righthander consistently overcome trouble, recording key strikeouts for the Highlanders (21-9) to finish with 10 strikeouts to counter his three walks, two hit batsmen and three wild pitches.
"What really hurt us is that we did not (take advantage) when we had men on base," said Jefferson coach Pop Cuesta after watching his Dragons end their season at 15-10. "We were two for 10 in those chances.
"But we accomplished more than we had expected with just three seniors, winning our districts. As far behind as we got, we could have packed it in, but we fought back."
After trailing 5-1, which included a Lake Wales four-run second inning, Jefferson closed the gap to 5-4, scoring twice in the fifth on a Josh Velez single to bring home Fred Freeman, who singled to lead off the inning. Robert Gordon's groundout to third scored starting pitcher Josh Collazo (5-5) before a flyout ended the threat.
Davis (7-3), who is also the cleanup hitter, answered in the Highlanders' ensuing turn at the plate, hitting a leadoff homer off Collazo to give Lake Wales its two-run lead for the final score.
