No-hitter too short for Pirate

But Aaron Brandt will take it and the 10-0 mercy-rule win over Hernando anyway.

By BY DAVID MURPHY
Published April 27, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - It wasn't the most dramatic way to end a no-hitter.

Aaron Brandt wasn't on the mound, his arms weren't raised, and teammates weren't dog-piling on top of him and giving him noogies.

The Pasco junior was on the bench, cheering a bases-clearing double by teammate Reyes Perez in the sixth-inning that gave the Pirates a 10-0 victory over Hernando on Thursday.

Still, mercy rule or not, it was a nice feeling.

"I would have liked to go back out (for the seventh inning)," said Brandt, who pitched all six innings, allowing no hits and two base runners.

"But it feels good."

At the beginning of the tournament, Pasco coach Ricky Giles decided to save No. 1 pitcher Dustin Brown for the championship and a potential rematch against No. 2 seed Nature Coast. The strategy worked, thanks in large part to Brandt, who struck out eight and improved to 8-0.

"I said at the beginning of the year I think he's their best pitcher," Hernando coach Donnie Whitehead said.

The scary part? He isn't.

That title belongs to Brown, a sophomore who will square off against Nature Coast tonight in the championship.

The Sharks also got a strong performance out of their starting pitcher as Travis Murray pitched a complete game in a 7-3 win over Zephyrhills. Murray also drove in four RBIs, three of them on a double in the sixth inning, helping Nature Coast clinch its first state playoff berth.

"It's nice for our coaches and our seniors," said Murray, a junior.

Nature Coast (20-5) and Pasco (24-3) split their regular-season series. The Pirates won the first game 2-1, while the Sharks took the second 10-6.

[Last modified April 26, 2007, 22:25:23]