BROOKSVILLE – The big-league scouts camped out in the stands behind home plate, their radar guns aimed at the mound with every pitch out of the hand of J.P. Gates.
Yes, Nature Coast’s tall, hard-throwing lefty is a central attraction every time he pitches, as he did Wednesday night at Emerson Field. But the host Leopards produced some highlights of their own, and came away with a 6-3 victory.
“A bounce-back game. Last Thursday (a 19-0 loss at Springstead); played a lot better tonight. We did a good job at the plate battling a very, very, very, very tough pitcher,” Hernando head coach Tim Sims said. “His change-up’s outstanding. He was getting a lot of guys early with two strikes with that change-up. He’s an outstanding pitcher; outstanding player, too. He hits the ball hard.
“We figured if we just hang around. That’s our goal kind of the whole year, is if we can hang around until the fifth inning, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’ll play well when we hang around and keep it close. And the senior leadership on this team is outstanding, and the younger players are playing relaxed because our seniors are taking charge. It’s a fun year for me.”
The Sharks (9-5 overall, 5-3 Class 5A, District 7) put together three straight hard-hit balls with one out in the top of the second inning, resulting in two doubles sandwiching a single. Kyle Mandes laced a two-bagger to the fence in left field, plating the game’s first run. Hernando (10-5 overall, 7-1 5A-7) starter Cameron Price managed to wiggle out of a bases-loaded jam to prevent further damage.
In the bottom of the third, the Leopards loaded the bases with two outs behind two walks and an error. That brought Conner Morgan to the plate, and he promptly blasted a bases-clearing double to the fence in left-center field, giving his team a 3-1 advantage.
Nature Coast would rally back to tie in the sixth, aided by several Hernando defensive miscues. A two-out error preceded the next batter striking out yet reaching on a passed ball. After a wild pitch, Jaden Rivera lined a single into shallow left, bringing home both runners.
However, the Leopards responded with some small ball in the bottom of the frame. Anthony Urso worked a leadoff walk, Trevor Vendrone bunted pinch runner Dalton Black to second, and after a Carson Lashley single, Black beat the throw home on a suicide squeeze by Price.
“First and third, one out, Coach gave me the squeeze. Just had to get it down,” Price said. “I’ve got to get the run across at that point, got to do anything you can to score.”
Logan Flood added a run batted in by grounding a single to left, and Morgan worked a bases-loaded walk.
“This team, they’re trained pretty well. They’re going to hang around. It’s not over, it’s 21 outs, and we’re going to play that way,” Sims said. “We knew we still had a couple at-bats, and we got out of the (top of the sixth) inning with it tied. That was key.”
Both starting pitchers went five innings, Gates yielding three unearned runs on two hits and five walks while striking out eight. Price gave up one earned run, scattering six hits, a walk and a hit batter, fanning five.
“Feeling pretty well. Felt like I had my stuff pretty much the whole entire game and it’s always fun to pitch against a pitcher like that,” Price said. “You’ve got to come with your ‘A’ game both sides of the game and we just found a way to win.
“We’re most likely going to face him again in districts. We’re not satisfied with this win, but we’re extremely happy. Especially after Thursday’s loss, this is huge for us.”
Putting last week’s debacle against the Eagles in the rearview mirror definitely seemed to be an overwhelming positive for the Leopards as they move forward through the second half of the regular season.
“We played a similar game against Sebring here over spring break, which is an outstanding 7A ballclub,” Sims said. “They bloodied our nose pretty good very similar to Springstead, and we bounced back right after that and played well against Fivay and Central.
“They’re going to play baseball for me, and that’s why it’s fun to coach this year. They really are doing it, they’re doing well.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.