Canterbury's swing tends to sting foes

For the past two months, Canterbury has gone absolutely batty.

By Bob Putnam
Published May 4, 2007

For the past two months, Canterbury has gone absolutely batty.
The Crusaders, 21-5 and ranked third in Class A, have feasted on their small school counterparts, often producing football-like scores. Among the highlights was a 19-0 win over Oldsmar Christian.
But after blasting its way to a district title, Canterbury’s offense short-circuited against Manatee HEAT. The Crusaders won 5-1, though they were outhit 7-6.
“We were playing so well on offense, but you’re just going to have those games sometimes,” said assistant John Lancaster, who has taken over on an interim basis while coach Bob Hamilton serves a suspension following an ejection last month, according to the Florida High School Athletic Association.
The Crusaders tweaked their lineup after cleanup hitter John Giles went down with a hamstring injury three weeks ago.
“It hurts losing a guy like that, but we’ve still been able to do some things,” Lancaster said.
Hitting has not been the team’s only strength. So has strong pitching and solid defense. Joey Cuda started against Manatee HEAT, giving up a run. Brandon Hamilton will start tonight against Meritt Island Christian.
“I think we’ll be able to get everything going again,” Lancaster said. “We’ll be okay.”

[Last modified May 3, 2007, 23:16:00]