(BROOKSVILLE)- In one of Hernando’s best runs in recent memory playing in the annual Farm Bureau Classic tournament, the Leopards were just a win away from taking home the championship trophy on their home field.
The party was upstaged, however, by Land O’ Lakes in the title game, as the Leopards ended up falling 9-2 to the Gators last weekend. It was an impressive run through the tournament for the Leopards, as Hernando won its first three games against Zephyrhills (4-3 win), Bushnell South Sumter (9-2 win) and upstart Hudson Fivay (7-6 win). Land O’ Lakes pitcher Ryan Ricardo was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
“It was a solid week. We played very well,” Hernando coach Tim Sims said. “We pitched the ball pretty darn good. We hit pretty good as well. Our defense kind of let us down in the tournament. You want to win the whole thing, but we were in good shape in that game.”
Land O’ Lakes ended up being a little bit too much at the end for Hernando, and took the tourney’s championship crown. Hernando for the remaining 13 games of the regular season won’t have to travel too far from the friendly confines of home, as the Leopards only play on the road five more times. The Leopards enter the second half of the season with a record of 10-3 after defeating Palatka, which is located just south of Jacksonville.
“We had our chances, and in the last two innings we had our letdown,” Sims added. “That’s the neat thing is the regular season sets up the bracket for the real tournament at the end. We beat a scrappy Palatka group. I like the group I have. If we can play defense and hit well situationally, we can beat anyone.”
Springstead is another Hernando County club fresh out of spring break after playing in the Farm Bureau Classic and got to see several of the Tanya Bay area’s top schools. The Eagles opened up against Hudson Fivay, which the Eagles fell 9-0 in the contest. From there the Eagles lost 14-4 to county rival Nature Coast, but did pickup a solid 16-3 victory over Zephyrhills in the final game of the tournament.
Nature Coast (10-2) had a nice run through the tournament, despite starting off on the wrong foot, The Sharks started off the tourney with a surprising 9-7 loss to New Port Richey River Ridge before bouncing back and picking up wins over Springstead and Crystal River (5-2 win). The Sharks are apart of a tough Class 5A, District 7 that includes Hernando and Hudson Fivay club that is currently 11-5 on the season. The race to claim the top seed in the district will likely come down to the three teams down the stretch.
Weeki Wachee (6-5) and Central (5-5) both also took part in the Farm Bureau Classic and were able to pickup a win apiece. The Hornets started off play with a 5-1 victory over Land O’ Lakes Sunlake before losing 4-0 to eventual tourney champion Land O’ Lakes. The Bears had a little bit different journey through the tournament, losing 13-10 to Inverness Citrus and defeating Lecanto 11-4 in their second game.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.