Lone mistake costs Cowboys 5A title

Donnie Amos' two-run triple in the sixth gives Davie Nova all it needs on its way to beating Gaither 3-0 in the state final.

By SCOTT PURKS
Published May 27, 2005

SARASOTA - The fastball was supposed to be on the outside corner, but it came in waist high, down the belly of the plate.

It was one pitch out of 106 thrown by Gaither lefty Chris Jones.

One mistake.

Davie Nova's Donnie Amos said it was the only pitch from Jones that looked "fat," and it led to, unfortunately for Gaither, the hardest hit of the night.

It traveled 400 feet before smacking the centerfield wall inches beyond the glove of Cowboys centerfielder Mario Duarte. As Duarte scrambled for the ball, two runners crossed home.

Gaither, after five scoreless innings, was in deep trouble at the Class 5A state final.

Behind an unrelenting defense and Amos's live right arm (six innings, two hits allowed), that hit was all Nova needed before winning 3-0. Nova added another run on the game's lone error in the seventh.

"(Nova) had great hitters, and you couldn't make a mistake," said Jones, a sophomore who allowed four hits and struck out 10 in a complete game. "I made one mistake. That was all it took."

Gaither (26-6) collected two hits, but it did hit the ball hard several times.

Trouble was, Nova's outfield ran everything down.

In the third inning, Gaither second baseman Evan Ashley drove a ball to deep center only to have Danny Harbach sprint straight back and snag it. If Harbach misses, one and maybe two runs score.

In the fourth, Harbach gunned down Caleb Graham, who was trying to "make something happen," but was tagged out sliding into third to end the inning.

In the fifth, Harbach grabbed a long shot by shortstop Gus Fernandez. A shot that could have led to another run.

And finally, leading off the sixth, catcher Braulio Pardo launched a ball to deep left-center only to have Kevin Nelson squeeze it at the wall. Pardo slid into second and popped up clapping, seeming to believe there was no way he hadn't hit a double.

"(Nova's) outfield made the ballgame," Gaither coach Frank Permuy said. "They were unbelievable."

It also was among the reasons Nova won its second straight state title, finished 30-1 and came into the state tournament ranked No.2 in the country by USA Today and No.6 by Baseball America.

For Gaither, the state final appearance was a first in school history and a chance to become the first Hillsborough County public school since Plant in 1988 to win a state title.

"It was frustrating," said Permuy, who hadn't coached in a state semifinal since his Tampa Catholic squad won the title in 1982. "This was the best group of seniors I've had. We had a great year. We had a couple of guys on base, but it just didn't happen.

"Sometimes that's the way it goes."

[Last modified May 27, 2005, 00:40:18]