Gaither stomps Middleton in quarterfinal

Gaither 4, Middleton 1

By KEITH NIEBUHR
Published March 22, 2007

BRANDON - Gaither pitcher Brian Menendez doesn't throw the ball in the 90s. And on his lanky 6-foot-1 frame, he carries, at most, 155 pounds.

To be honest, he isn't the type of guy who scares his opponents.

But he is the type who beats them.

The senior left-hander was at his best Wednesday, tossing a complete-game four-hitter to beat Middleton in a quarterfinal.

"He did a great job," Gaither coach Frank Permuy said. "He's not overpowering. He's just a tough competitor."

Although Menendez's fastball, which he says goes no more than "82 or 83" mph, was effective, his assortment of offspeed stuff - particularly the change- up - is what gave the Tigers (15-3) the most fits.

"He was effective," Middleton coach Vernon Slater said. "Nothing flashy, but he got it over for strikes."

For Gaither, it was a good thing Menendez did. That's because the Cowboys (11-3), who have won five straight, produced just seven hits of their own. Sergio Delgado had a two-run single in the first, but there wasn't much else in the way of offense.

"If you get that kind of pitching, you can win with four runs," Permuy said.

Middleton's run came in the fourth on a one-out sacrifice bunt by Derrick Hudgins. Besides that hiccup, Menendez (4-1) had little trouble.

"I felt really good out there," he said. "I knew that because this team is really aggressive, I had to make them chase. And they were chasing all day."

Keith Niebuhr, Times correspondent

[Last modified March 21, 2007, 23:37:03]