Big first helps Northeast win Baseball title

By BRANDON WRIGHT
Published June 28, 2006

GULPORT - Northeast scored five in the first and never trailed, beating Seminole 14-10 to win the District 5 10-11 Baseball All-Star Tournament Tuesday night.

It was Northeast's second win in as many nights against Seminole. Northeast was knocked into the losers' bracket Friday when it lost 14-4 to Seminole.

"I knew we could win (Tuesday) because we didn't play our best on Friday," winning pitcher Connor Bearnarth said. "(Tuesday), we hit the ball better and were in the game more mentally."

The teams' history goes back even further than this weekend. Seminole beat Northeast in the 9-10 championship game last year.

"We played up last year to the team," Northeast manager Tim Walsh said. "This was a rematch, and turnabout is fair play."

Northeast's had two two-out rallies. Colin O'Keefe capped a three-run second with a run-scoring single, and Nick Andre (2-for-3, four RBIs) homered to left-centerfield in the fifth.

"The pitch was just straight down the middle meat," Andre said. "I thought it was just a pop fly, but it carried."

Seminole's Devin Kalck hit his second home run of tournament.

9-10 BASEBALL: Jonathan Bouriboun threw a complete game, striking out six and walking none as Cross Bayou #2 came out of the losers' bracket to beat Seminole #1 5-3. The teams meet again at 6:30 tonight at Gulfport for the district championship.

"We haven't had a pitcher go the distance all tournament long," manager Bob Adams said. "To go from games where we've had multiple walks to tonight where we had none was just unbelievable."

Cross Bayou #2 played flawless defense behind Bouriboun. And Adams noted the strong play of centerfielder Austin Lawrence, who made a catch near the fence to end the game with the tying run at-bat.

"Our defense was stellar," Adams said. "(Lawrence) ate everything up out there."

Trailing 2-1, Cross Bayou #2 went ahead in the third. Seth Stephany, Dylan Ridge and Zach Adams doubled to take the lead, and Marty Weismantel's single made it 4-2.

DISTRICT 12 9-10 BASEBALL: Nick Whitley's run-scoring double in the sixth lifted Largo past Oldsmar 4-3 at Dunedin. Jake Woodford went six innings for the win, striking out five and walking one, and went 2-for-4.

Tarpon Springs won Pool B after beating Holiday 17-7. Holiday finished as the runnerup as both advanced to Friday's quarterfinals. East Lake beat West Pasco 7-4.

DISTRICT 12 10-11: Palm Harbor beat Clearwater 7-3 while East Lake downed Tarpon Springs 6-5. Pool winners Palm Harbor and East Lake reached Friday's semifinals as does pool runnerup Clearwater.

[Last modified June 28, 2006, 06:37:54]