West Pasco pitcher finds his groove, strikes out 10

Blaize Grabowski tossed a three-hit shutout as West Pasco opened the Section 7 Little League 9-10 Baseball tournament with a 3-0 win against Bayshore on Friday night at Dunedin's Fisher Field.

By Brandon Wright, Times Staff Writer
Published July 14, 2007

DUNEDIN - When West Pasco's Blaize Grabowski took the mound in the first inning against Bayshore, he said he felt "a little off."

It didn't take him long to adjust.

Grabowski tossed a three-hit shutout as West Pasco opened the Section 7 Little League 9-10 Baseball tournament with a 3-0 win against Bayshore on Friday night at Dunedin's Fisher Field.

"It took me a little bit until I felt comfortable out there," Grabowski said. "But really, any mound is a good mound for me."

Ryan Glenn scored on an error in the third inning for the game's first run, and West Pasco added a pair in the fifth. Grabowski and Tyler Hawks singled to start the inning, and a fielder's choice loaded the bases. R.J. Johnston then worked out of a 1-and-2 count to draw a walk and make it 2-0. Elliot De- Vergnes later scored on a wild pitch.

Grabowski took care of the rest, striking out 10 and walking none over six innings. Mixing in a knuckle-curve to offset his fastball, Grabowski ran into little trouble. Bayshore's best chance came in the third when it put a runner on third with one out. But Grabowski struck out the next two batters.

"My arm felt real good," Grabowski said. "The more strikeouts I got, the more pumped up I got."

Grabowski also finished 3-for-4 at the plate, while teammate Harrison Keslar went 2-for-4 with a double. West Pasco plays Seminole, a 10-0 winner against Crystal River, at 10 a.m. today.

SEMINOLE 10, CRYSTAL RIVER 0: Seminole finished with 12 hits in a game shortened to four innings because of the run rule. Seminole's Jacob McFadden, Austin Lamoureaux and Ty Joritz each went 2-for-2. Chris Berry threw all four innings to earn the win, striking out five.

Dizzy Dean Baseball

The 2007 Dizzy Dean Under-14 State Championships got underway Friday with opening ceremonies and a skills competition. Pinellas Park's Mike Boriboun won the home run derby, while teammate Tim King won the bunting competition. Tallahassee Capital Park's Ventavis Jerger won the golden arm competition, and teammate Jordan Johnson captured the fleet foot competition. Tournament play begins at 10 a.m. today at Davis Field in Pinellas Park.

Contact Brandon Wright at bwright@sptimes.com or 727 892-2216.

Section 7 results

9-10 Baseball

West Pasco 3, Bayshore 0

Seminole 10, Crystal River 0

9-10 Softball

Dunnellon 9, Seminole 2

Palma Ceia/Interbay 22, Tarpon Springs/Countryside 4

Major Softball

Palma Ceia/Interbay/Tampa Bay 7, Palm Harbor 0

Section 7 schedule

Today at Dunedin

All games at 10 a.m.

9-10 Baseball

West Pasco vs. Seminole

Bayshore vs. Crystal River

9-10 Softball

Seminole vs. Tarpon Springs/Countryside

Palma Ceia/Interbay vs. Dunnellon

Major Softball

Pinellas Park/Gulf Beaches/Cross Bayou vs. Palm Harbor

Palma Ceia/Interbay/Tampa Bay vs. Crystal River

[Last modified July 14, 2007, 00:36:12]