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By STEVE LEE
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 1, 2001
Paradise Post 79 came up short last week in its bid for its first state playoff berth, which manager Jim Gariepy said would have capped the team's best season.
Despite posting a 22-10 record and winning just the second tournament in its 13-year existence, Post 79 bowed out of the Southwest Area Class A tournament last week after losing two of three games at the Ray Naimoli complex in St. Petersburg.
"I think we had a successful year," Gariepy said. "We won more games than any other Post 79 team."
Paradise posted 17-win seasons in 2000 and 1994. The team also won the Memorial Tournament at Gaither, its first tournament championship since winning the Citrus County Invitational in 1994.
But following a 10-1 win over Bradenton Post 24 to open the Southwest Area tournament, Paradise lost 12-5 to St. Petersburg Post 14 on Thursday and 5-1 to tournament runner-up Venice Post 159 on Friday.
In the team's final game, left-hander Justin Libecap allowed four runs to Venice in the first inning before settling down and giving up just one run in the final eight.
"That was the difference in the game," Gariepy said.
Paradise, which defeated St. Petersburg twice during the regular season, struggled against Post 14 in the third meeting.
Tommy Dillon hit a solo home run and an RBI double, Paul Krisanda added a run-scoring double and Joey Aldridge added a sacrifice fly in that game.
Dillon finished as Paradise's RBI leader with 20 and batted .313.
Phil Davis led the team with a .420 average and was followed by Libecap (.364), Rick Brensinger (.338), Joe Savino (.333) and Dillon.
TRIPLEHEADER DOOMS ODESSA: After winning twice Sunday at Gaither, Odessa Post 147 couldn't pull off a trifecta, losing 3-2 to King in the third game.
That defeat, the second in four games, knocked Odessa out of the Central Area tournament.
"It would have been tough," Odessa coach Calvin Baisley said of his team's attempt to win three games in one day. Odessa (11-6) had the option of returning to Gaither to play King on Sunday. But Baisley, citing two rained out games last week and upcoming family vacations for several players, chose to play the tripleheader. Jeff Baisley, the coach's son, pitched a complete game in the seven-inning loss to King.
King scored the winning run in the sixth inning on a ground ball that went through the glove of first baseman Bobby O'Dell.
"It was a Bill Buckner play, through the wickets," said Baisley, referring to the famous gaffe by Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series.
In Sunday's second game, Odessa avenged an opening-round loss to Gaither by winning the rematch 7-4 behind pitcher Rob Petrucci, who scattered 11 hits. With the score tied 4-4, Jeff Baisley hit a two-run, two-out triple for the decisive runs. Brian Baisley then knocked in his twin brother with a single.
Odessa beat Alonso 13-3 in Sunday's first game with O'Dell earning the win on the mound by striking out eight and scattering six hits.
Victor Roldan hit a three-run double, Greg Rosenthal had two hits and four RBI, and Jeff Baisley had three hits and three RBI in that game.
Gaither's 2-1 win over Odessa on Saturday also was decided by an error when Odessa catcher Robbie Alvarez's errant pickoff throw sailed into rightfield, allowing a runner on third base to score.
"He was out," Baisley said of the baserunner apparently caught off first, "but we threw it in the outfield."