Anything the Bears do, the 'Canes do better

That's the way things seem to go in an 11-1 Citrus win over Central.

By DAVID MURPHY
Published April 6, 2006

BROOKSVILLE - Standing in front of the home dugout at the Central baseball field, Bears coach Dan O'Rourke gestured toward a gaggle of Citrus players who were heading toward their idling bus.

"That team right there plays fundamental baseball," O'Rourke said. "We do not. We practice it. We preach it. For whatever reason, we don't play it."

Indeed, defense and fundamentals were the biggest differences in a 11-1 Citrus win Wednesday.

The Hurricanes outhit the Bears 9-1, and Citrus freshman Brandin Barroso pitched five strong innings, but it was the little things, the baseball minutiae, that separated the teams.

Seven of the Hurricanes' nine runs came with two outs, including five straight in the second inning that gave Citrus a 7-0 lead.

Citrus committed zero errors. Central committed six, four leading to runs.

Citrus pitchers walked three batters. Central pitchers walked seven.

"Our defense has been key all year," shortstop Nick Delguidice said. "Our offense has been struggling, but our defense has been there all year."

Delguidice played an impeccable game at short, assisting on four outs, several of them off hard-hit grounders.

"This is probably the best defensive game I've seen Nick play," Citrus coach Jon Bolin said. "He's been around so long, you come to expect it. Sometimes you forget how good of a shortstop he is."

Offensively, the Hurricanes turned in a solid effort. Delguidice went 3-for-5 and scored three runs, while Randy Hernandez went 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

Citrus (11-6) also was aided by the performance of Barroso, a freshman making his second start of the year. Though he recorded just two strikeouts, the former junior varsity pitcher allowed just one hit - a fifth-inning double by Ryan Vanlow.

"I felt confident," said Barroso, who improved to 2-0. "I hit my spots."

Central fell to 7-12.

[Last modified April 6, 2006, 02:00:13]