TAMPA — The early quarterfinal games at the 35th annual Saladino Tournament featured a pair of pitchers who started games at the state final four last season.
But the star of the afternoon at Brandon turned out to be a pitcher who didn't even get out of the first inning in his last start.
Brandon Harris took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against Bloomingdale and finished with a one-hit shutout as Strawberry Crest rode his right arm to a 2-0 victory and a spot in the tournament semifinals for the second straight year.
The Chargers (9-4) will meet Jesuit (9-5) today.
Harris, a junior who has committed to UNC-Asheville, was outstanding against the Bulls, outdueling Bloomingdale starter Daylon Owens, who started last year's Class 8A state championship game.
Harris allowed only one runner to reach base, via a third strike that rolled to the backstop, through six innings before Bloomingdale's Nate Chevalier led off the seventh with a single that dropped just a few feet in front of the rightfielder. The Bulls went on to put two runners on base before Harris got the last out on a grounder to second.
"Starting from the bullpen, I knew it was going to be a good day," said Harris, whose win was the first of his career. "My pitches were getting over, they had good movement and I was attacking the strike zone"
Harris lasted only two outs in a Monday start against Freedom, giving up two runs.
"We have a saying, 'You just gotta flush it,' " he said. "Flush it, get rid of it, it didn't happen, just attack the next team."
Korey Coffey broke up a scoreless game in the fourth with a hit, scoring Augustin Ontiveros, who had singled, was sacrificed to second and got to third on a balk.
In the fifth inning, catcher Tyler Chancey singled in a run for the Chargers, who had eight hits on the day.
Jesuit 1, Riverview 0: Jesuit awaits the Chargers, after the Tigers welcomed back last year's postseason hero, Michael Sandborn.
Coming off of precautionary rest, Sandborn, a junior lefty who threw a shutout in last year's state semifinals, went three innings, allowing two hits and striking out three.
Sandborn walked the first batter he faced on four pitches but retired the last four hitters he faced. He finished with 31 pitches, all fastballs except for a curveball he threw to get a strikeout and end a bases-loaded jam in the second inning.
"I was originally assuming I would throw one or two innings, but I got out there and felt pretty good," he said.
Riverview's Jordan Leasure was just as impressive. The junior right-hander did not allow a runner to reach second until Jacob Mocny doubled over the leftfielder's head with one out in the sixth. Nico Baldor then singled him in to score the game's only run.
After an 0-4 start, the Tigers have won eight of nine games as they bid for their first Saladino title since 1986.
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Explore all your options"The pieces are falling into place," first-year Jesuit coach Miguel Menendez said.
"We're starting to play better, and we have to still get more consistent on offense, but the pitching has been really good all year and now we get Michael back."