BUSHNELL – A win away from clinching a district crown, head coach Kip Fleming handed the ball to a young right-hander he knew he could count on. Jaxen Gates delivered, tossing 6 2/3 solid innings, permitting three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out nine.
Behind Gates, Spring Hill American defeated host Bushnell in the final of last week’s Dixie Baseball AAA Minors (age 9-10) All-Stars District 6 Tournament at Kenny Dixon Sports Complex, 4-3. “He’s a horse, he really is,” Fleming said. “You see the size of him, but dynamite comes in small packages and he’s every bit of dynamite. Fastball, curveball, changeup; I mean he throws it all. It was a very low strike zone, but it was a consistent low strike zone. That umpire never changes, it’s always a low strike zone and we knew that. He hits his spots very well ” Fleming explained.
Gates had started the tournament tossing a complete game in a 12-2 opening-round triumph over Wildwood, permitting two hits in four innings. Batting third in the order, Gates went 9-for-15 with a double, seven runs scored and three stolen bases as SH American went 5-0. He also hit two home runs in a 14-3 semifinal win over Spring Hill National. “He (the opposing pitcher) gave me a meatball, like really good balls to hit over,” Gates said of the multi-homer game.
Fleming praised Gates’ intelligence on the field, and noted that an opposing coach said he’d take five of Gates and teammate Sammy Sanchez, who recorded the last out against Bushnell. Though Sanchez came on in relief after Gates got into some trouble in the sixth and final inning, Gates had been dominant over the first four frames, allowing just two singles. He got touched up for a run in the fifth, but stranded runners on the corners and preserved what was then a one-run lead with a strikeout.
The next step for SH American will be the state tournament, starting July 18 in Franklin County. According to Fleming, this group has been building toward this point for the past few years. A total of 11 of the 12 players are members of the Spring Hill Warhawks, a travel ball team formed in response to other All-Star squads that also played travel ball. Gates believes that’s a key to SH American’s current success. “This is the same team as our travel team,” Gates said. “We’re just used to playing with each other.”