Westbrook gives Leopards, Dunn a chance to win

By BRANT JAMES

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 4, 2000

BROOKSVILLE -- Nick Westbrook did not pitch in the right spot to earn a statistical save Tuesday night, but his two-batter stint was the strategic equivalent in Hernando High's 10-8 victory over Citrus in the Class 3A, Region II quarterfinals.

With starter John Neal trailing 4-1 and struggling with the bases loaded and one out, Westbrook, a left-hander, was inserted from the bullpen to face Bruce Boardman. Jason Dunn was scheduled to pitch in a relief role, but had started the game at third base and Leopards coach Tim Sims did not want to bring in his ace without proper warm-up in the bullpen.

Dunn left third base for the bullpen when Westbrook entered and was able to warm up at a comfortable pace when Westbrook struck out Boardman and retired Sam McLain on a ground ball.

"Bang-bang, goodnight Irene," Sims said. "He gets two outs and holds us right there. Your average customer is not going to realize that, but that was key because we were able to get Dunn ready to go the right way."

Dunn struck out the first three batters he faced, and after the Leopards took a 9-4 lead in the fifth, muddled through a four-run sixth before earning the win in a three-inning effort.

E-LEVATING: Hernando committed five more errors Tuesday, raising its season total unofficially to 97. Sims said the seemingly bloated figure is not alarming, and not unusual.

"Basically, the best season we had here was 50," he said, "and the worst was 109. Usually you're anywhere from 75 to 85. Yes, we're a little over."

More telling than the error figure, he said, was how the team played defensively in key situations. Three errors in the fourth led to three unearned runs off Neal. Leftfielder Stan Tarkowski committed a harmless error in the sixth, as did then-second baseman Neal in the seventh.

"You get them fielding decent and then we get in an atmosphere with the biggest crowd of the year," Sims said, "and they're high school kids. You try to get them to relax and you as a coach are getting hyper.

"But they'll do fine. If we got down a couple in the beginning of the year we just kicked it more. Now if we get down a couple they kind of tighten their belt."

Hernando (20-12) travels to play Eustis at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Region II quarterfinals.

CENTRAL OUSTED: The Bears, as usual, could have used a little more punch in their 3-1 loss to Dunnellon in the Class 3A, Region II quarterfinals Tuesday. Central (13-16) hung tantalizingly close to the Tigers (26-4), especially with Dunnellon ace Tommy Boss improving to 14-0. But a first-inning run was all the Bears could muster.

"He pretty much shut us down," Central coach Gary Buel said. "He had a couple runners on late in the game, but we just couldn't do a whole lot from there."

Boss gave Dunnellon its decisive lead with two out in the third inning when he homered off Central starter Patrick Ryan.

"(Ryan) threw a wild pitch at his armpit and he jacked it out," Buel said.

Central played in its district championship game and in the regional three of the last four years. If it is to return next season, it will have to do it with another team that clamors for runs.

"There's nobody on the horizon, not a lot of hitters in the program at all," Buel said. "I told the group after the game they probably showed as much character as any team I've had at Central. It's kind of become a sign of Central baseball that you have to scratch and scrap."

Central's re-rebuilding will be made more difficult with the loss of starters Phil Steele and Sam and Mike Hill, Buel said.

"They're quality kids," he said. "They're what we look for in the stereoptypical Central player: come to the park every day, keep your mouth shut, do your job, show some leadership, keep your nose clean."

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