Crusaders make their noise on the mound

Even when Canterbury's bats aren't prolific, the pitching is always consistent.

By EMERY SKOLFIELD
Published May 5, 2006

During a spring of unprecedented success, Canterbury developed the reputation as an offensive powerhouse, a run-producing machine capable of generating football-type scores on any given night.

And many times, such was the case for the Crusaders, who scored 280 runs in 25 regular-season games, many of which didn't last past five innings.

But hidden beneath Canterbury's gaudy offensive numbers - including a near-.400 team batting average - remained a constant: strong, consistent pitching.

"The pitching has always been there," said third-year Canterbury coach Bob Hamilton, whose second-ranked Crusaders (25-3) host Titusville Temple Christian (18-6) tonight at 7. "I think our hitting overshadowed it a little bit during the season because of some of the scores, but our pitching has been there."

Hamilton, whose team has outscored opponents 297-39, has a point.

When Canterbury managed only three runs against Tarpon Springs in early March, the Crusaders held the Spongers scoreless. In a March meeting with St. Petersburg Catholic, two runs were enough for Canterbury until Pete Woodworth belted a victory-stealing home run late for a 4-2 SPC win.

"I've yet to see these guys back down from any challenge," said Hamilton, a former Northeast pitching standout taken in the second round of the 1983 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

That says a lot for a pitching staff made up exclusively of 10th-graders. Right-handers John Lancaster (9-0), Joey Cuda (9-2) and Brandon Hamilton (6-1) carried the flag for Canterbury, combining for 24 victories.

Cuda (9-2), a transfer from Gibbs, pitched Canterbury to its first district title last week against Cambridge and will start tonight. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound catcher/pitcher/third baseman has 102 strikeouts in 612/3 innings and boasts an ERA near 1.50. Still, he refuses to call himself the top dog of the staff.

"We pretty much have three aces," Cuda said.

Lately, Canterbury has needed the pitching. In Tuesday's victory over Bradenton Manatee HEAT, the Crusaders scored the game's lone run on an error and finished with just three hits - all infield singles. Against Cambridge, they failed to manufacture any big innings, but leaned on Cuda's performance for a 4-1 win.

"I'm not even sweating the hitting part," said Cuda, the Crusaders' leading hitter with a .542 batting average. "We're starting to play better teams and that's what happens."

[Last modified May 5, 2006, 02:30:26]