Sharks maneuver into prime position

By DAVID MURPHY
Published April 4, 2007

ZEPHYRHILLS - Truth be told, Zephyrhills' Geoff Parker could probably eat Nature Coast's Lowell Bebout for a snack. But Tuesday night, it was the Florida State-bound star running wind sprints with the rest of his teammates after a lopsided loss, and the skinny No. 6 hitter providing the details of a key district win.

"There's no one awesome player on our team," Bebout said after the Sharks' 9-3 win. "But there's no bad player either."

In a win that likely guarantees them no worse than the No. 2 seed in the Class 4A, District 8 tournament, the Sharks continued to use the no-name formula that has them sitting at 15-3 overall, 11-1 in the district. Four players had two hits, including Bebout, whose two-run home run in the fifth inning gave Nature Coast a 7-2 lead. Pitcher Bryan Daniels 5-2 turned in another workmanlike effort, allowing three runs and five hits in six innings.

"They beat us in all facets of the game," Zephyrhills coach Bruce Cimorelli said.

Nature Coast proved itself formidable throughout its lineup. Leadoff hitter Kyle Kuzniar went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and had four stolen bases. Bebout finished 2-for-2 with three runs scored and three RBIs out of the six hole. And Blake Dudkewic went 2-for-4 with three RBIs while batting eighth.

"We never really let them settle into the game," Nature Coast coach Dan Garofano said.

Parker, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Bulldogs star, went 2-for-3, but Zephyrhills fell to 11-7, 7-4 in the district.

David Murphy can be reached at dmurphy@sptimes.com or (352) 848-1407.

[Last modified April 3, 2007, 23:46:37]