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Gaither loss doesn't ruin great season

Both coach and team feel proud of all they accomplished despite losing the championship game.

By ROD GIPSON
Published May 29, 2005

SARASOTA - For years they have watched.

And waited. And hoped. For another shot, another chance. Local foes Chamberlain, Jesuit, Sickles and even upstart Alonso got to play for a shot at a state championship.

Gaither baseball's wait came to an end last week as the always strong Cowboys' program finally got over the hump and took its place among the state's final four teams in Class 5A.

And after a nail-biting 7-6 win in the semifinals against Cape Coral Mariner, Gaither stood one win away from a state title. And after five innings Thursday against Davie Nova, the dream was intact.

Then sophomore lefthanded pitcher Chris Jones made his one mistake of the game. When Jones' fastball stayed in the middle of the plate instead of down and away, Nova's Donald Amos nailed it for a triple off the outfield wall, scoring two runs and effectively ending the game.

Nova added an insurance run in the seventh to claim its second straight Class 5A state title.

Gaither, meanwhile, ended a fantastic season with a 26-6 record, a Saladino Tournament title, district and regional championships, a state finals appearance and a flood of memories.

"We had a great year," said Gaither coach Frank Permuy. "I told our kids we have nothing to hang our heads about. We just fell a little bit short. That's all."

Caleb Graham, who pitched in the semifinal win, said even when the Cowboys were down late in the game, they still felt as though they had a chance.

"That's one thing about this team," Graham said. "We never give up. We were confident coming in and we were still confident even when we were down."

The Gaither faithful came in droves for the final. Students, parents, teachers and administrators showed up to cheer on the Cowboys. And as hard as they were pulling for the players, they were equally cheering for the coach.

Permuy is in his 33rd year of coaching, his 21st year at Gaither. He has been through this before. His 1982 Tampa Catholic squad won the state championship with future major leaguers Tino Martinez, Lance McCullers and Rich Monteleone.

And sure, Permuy wanted a win for himself, but not nearly as much as for this team, this group of kids. Especially seniors Caleb Graham, Braulio Pardo, Mario Duarte, Gus Fernandez, Ryan Plate, Kris Loper and Chris Thompson.

"This is the best group of seniors we have ever had here," Permuy said. "The best. They were the leaders of this team. A team of 27 guys and everybody knows their role. That's a real team and these seniors were great leaders."

At first glance, little stood out about Gaither's offense this year. While there were no gaudy statistics put up (10 total home runs, five by outfielder Greg Coffman), that wasn't their game. Outstanding pitching and nearly mistake-free defense came first. And it came relatively easy with a solid core up the middle of catcher Pardo, shortstop Fernandez, junior second baseman Evan Ashley and centerfielder Duarte. And when it came time for the key hit, the Cowboys always came up with it.

Which is why this loss was frustrating.

The key hits didn't come, the defense made an error and while the pitching was outstanding (Jones pitched a complete game four-hitter with 10 strikeouts), his one mistake was costly.

"They were definitely challenging," said Jones of Nova. "They swung the bats and if you made a mistake, they hit it."

Still, even in defeat, the Cowboys recognized their outstanding season.

"This was a unified team," said Fernandez. "Just a big bunch of best friends. We play the game with passion and we came in here thinking we would win."

Graham echoed Fernandez, adding that is was tough to lose a championship game but reaching it was an accomplishment nonetheless.

"I'll remember my teammates," said the graduating Graham. "And playing together and hanging out together through my four years here.

"And going this far, it's a shame we had to finish as runners-up."

[Last modified May 28, 2005, 09:58:04]