Seminole gets back into hitting groove

Six home runs secure a victory.

By BRANDON WRIGHT
Published July 29, 2007

Seminole had been in a slump, so to speak.

After bombing 18 homers in the previous 13 innings leading up to last Sunday's Section 7 final, Seminole hit just two in the next two games - including only one in its Little League Major Baseball Tournament opener Friday.

Saturday, Seminole returned to its long-ball ways.

Seminole blasted six home runs and moved to 2-0 in pool play with an 11-1 thumping of Eustis at Tallahassee's Canopy Oaks Community Park.

"We are just a long-ball hitting club," Seminole coach Ira Berman said. "We hit the ball a lot better Saturday than Friday."

Brett Phillips and Corey Baptist each hit a pair of homers against Eustis while Scott Withrow and Will Oberst also went deep.

"The caliber of pitching we saw (Saturday) wasn't what it was Friday, but we're a hitting club," Berman said. "If you're not getting it up there against us, that's not going to cut it."

Seminole had as many singles - six - as it did homers. Mike Mann and Anthony Lamoureux each had a pair of hits, while Adam Atkinson and David Watts added one each.

Seminole also rotated its pitchers, keeping them fresh and saving eligibility. Eric Sines, Lamoureux, Phillips, Baptist and Oberst each threw fewer than 20 pitches, meaning all five are available for today's game at 10 a.m. against DeFuniak Springs (1-1).

Seminole is the only 2-0 team left in Pool A and while it appears likely it will advance to the semifinals, it's not official.

"We could get blown out (today) and be on our way home," Berman said. "There is no free ride."

Should Seminole advance, it will play Monday at 10 a.m. in the semifinals, with the championship game at 5:30 p.m. The winner of that will advance to next week's Southern Regional at Gulfport.

SENIOR BASEBALL: Seminole bowed out of the state championship after a 13-7 loss to Niceville at Winter Garden. Gabe Martello hit a home run against Niceville while brother Mike added an RBI double. Seminole's Mike Carlin went 3-for-4, Brian Grundmann hit a double and Ryan Kirk started a rare triple play.

Brandon Wright can be reached at bwright@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2216.

Fast Facts:

Major Baseball State Tournament

at Tallahassee

Today: Seminole vs. DeFuniak Springs, 10 a.m.

[Last modified July 29, 2007, 01:22:38]