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Region baseball: Berkeley Prep 10, Tampa Catholic 8

 
Published May 4, 2016

TAMPA — No matter how many road blocks Tampa Catholic put up over three hours of baseball Tuesday night, Berkeley Prep kept fighting. Why would anyone expect anything different when the game, and a berth in the Class 4A final four, came down to its final strike?

Trailing the Crusaders 8-7, freshman Jakob Hines, then senior Casey Keller delivered in impressive fashion to lift the Buccaneers to an emotional 10-8 victory and a trip to Fort Myers next Friday.

"It's been a tough season for me," said Hines of his .230 batting average coming into Tuesday's game, "but we're a tough team. Pressure doesn't affect me. I won't let it."

Hines proved that when, facing a 1-2 count with two outs, he slashed a flyball that eluded the dive of rightfielder Jordan Enriquez just inside the foul line. Sprinting for a triple that scored Khalib Bayona (single) and Spencer Myers (his fifth hit of the night), Hines helped give visiting Berkeley Prep (22-8) its second lead of the night, one that tacked on a clutch insurance run on a run-scoring double from Carson Weekley, who also homered earlier.

From there, Keller, who came on in relief of starter Tyler Fagler to start the third, stranded the last Tampa Catholic (a deceptive 15-14) runner at third base to get the hard-earned victory.

"I didn't have my best stuff early, but I did better once I settled down," Keller said of his 76-pitch stint. "Seeing (the Crusaders) four times a year every year definitely increases the rivalry, but it helps to know them better."

Hines' heroics stripped away the mantle from Tyler Lala as the junior catcher delivered a second-inning, two-run homer that flipped Berkeley's early lead, a solo shot in the third and a two-run triple in the fifth that broke a 5-all tie at the time.

"God has a purpose in this that's more than going to states," said Berkeley Prep coach Richie Warren. "We play against top talent to build their maturity level, teach them to battle through adversity and come together as a family. That was no different (Tuesday)."