Region baseball semifinals preview

TODAY'S GAMES

By JIM REESE
Published May 13, 2005

CLASS 5A

WHO: Clermont East Ridge (21-7) at Gaither (23-5)

SKINNY: Gaither's Frank Permuy, the only coach in the school's history, has more than 500 career wins. Mike Simmons is the third coach in East Ridge's three years of playing baseball. Having said that, watch out for East Ridge, which has four players hitting .340 or better and the district player of the year, pitcher Stephen Batman. The Cowboys, ranked No. 7 in the state, seem to have righted their ship. They overcame a late-season skid, when they lost four of five. Caleb Graham, Chris Jones and Ryan Plate make up one of the best pitching trios around. Jones (7-0) will start against East Ridge. The Cowboys play sound defense and seldom beat themselves.

WHO: Lakeland George Jenkins (17-12) at Hillsborough (21-5)

SKINNY: The Terriers have relied on clutch hitting to carry them into the playoffs. Though just 17-12, George Jenkins scored 25 runs in two district tournament wins. Moises Abohamde and Andrew Foss, George Jenkins' scheduled starters this year, can't pitch because of arm trouble, but they are in the lineup at first base and DH, respectively. Mark McClure and Orlando Bacon are enough to carry the Terriers' pitching, but the heavy bats of Mike Burgess, Mario Williams, Justin Bowman and Bacon need to remain hot for Hillsborough to move on.

CLASS 4A

WHO: Citrus (20-9) at Jefferson (20-6)

SKINNY: Joey Delgado (3-4, 1.89 ERA) will start for the Dragons. He'll have to go far to match Josh Collazzo's 9-1 win over Lake Wales in the quarterfinal. Collazzo's monster bat produced two doubles and a grand slam in that game and he'll be batting DH tonight. Shawn Farris and Chris Pandiella each hit over .440 this season for Jefferson. After a 1-4 start, Citrus regrouped and took the district championship. Mark Xenophon and Nick Van Gorder supply the batting power while Stephen Powell has been the Hurricanes' go-to guy on the mound, beating Leesburg 8-0 for the district title.

CLASS 3A

WHO: Jesuit (23-4) at North Port (20-8), 4 p.m.

SKINNY: Undefeated Jeff Younger (8-0) will start for the Tigers. North Port will be hard pressed to match up with Jesuit's power array of .400 hitters who clobbered De Soto Arcadia 11-3 on Tuesday. Jesuit has been a perennial visitor to region play while this season's No. 1 finish in districts was the first ever for North Port.

WHO: Robinson (17-10) at Boca Raton Pope John Paul II (21-7)

SKINNY: Coach Sal Urso will call upon Greg Koons (5-3) to keep the Knights moving. "We are still going to rely upon Steven Evarts' bat, 4-for-4, including a home run in a win over Avon Park on Tuesday, but we seem to be coming together as a team with a whole bunch of guys producing," Urso said. Defense is playing a big role for the Knights with errors per game decreasing from five to one compared to last year. Pope John Paul II benefitted from five errors committed by losing team Naples Golden Gate on Tuesday. Ryan Whelan was 3-for-3 in that victory. Whelan also recorded a save and may get the starting nod against Robinson.

CLASS 2A

WHO: Berkeley Prep (15-12) at Naples St. John Neumann (17-11), 4 p.m.

SKINNY: "If we continue to play aggressively like we did on Tuesday, we should be okay," said Berkeley Prep coach Justin Houston of the 10-0 win over Mount Dora Bible. Eddie Sipple (3-4) gets the start for the Buccaneers. St. John Neumann's Mike Riccio has 12 of his team's 17 wins and boasts a 1.19 ERA. He also is the team leader in RBIs with 24. Leo Martinez and Mike Gueterbock are hitting .391 and .370, respectively. Derek Hatcher and Adam Lieberman will lead the Bucs.

WHO: Tampa Prep (16-9) at Lakeland McKeel Academy (18-9)

SKINNY: The Terrapins will call upon Matt Palombo (3-5), with Brad Buchman in relief if needed. "Our recipe for success: put the ball in play by cutting down on strikeouts and continue the defense we've had for the last few games," Tampa Prep coach A.J. Hendrix said. Both teams were knocking on the door of the Class 2A top 10 this past week. Buchman and J.P. Goldsberry are hitting over .400 for Tampa Prep.

CLASS A

WHO: Winter Haven All Saints' (15-10) vs. Cambridge (24-5), Doc Nance Field.

SKINNY: Cambridge's Austin Welti (7-4, 2.30 ERA) gets the start for the Lancers. He'll have ample support from Jimmy Falla (.415), Byron Eger (.387) and Matt Bakos (.387). Cambridge, No. 9 in the state, is aggressive and challenges other teams on the bases. All Saints' advanced by turning back Hernando Christian 16-2.

[Last modified May 13, 2005, 00:57:16]