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Region baseball capsules

 
King High shortstop Dehreon Pressley (27) swings at the ball during the game between Hillsborough High and King High at King in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, March 2, 2017. King High defeated Hillsborough High 5-3.
King High shortstop Dehreon Pressley (27) swings at the ball during the game between Hillsborough High and King High at King in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, March 2, 2017. King High defeated Hillsborough High 5-3.
Published May 15, 2017

Tuesday's games start at 7 p.m. unless noted

Region semifinals

Class 9A

Vero Beach (23-5) at Alonso (21-7): The postseason sets up well for teams that have a true ace, and the Ravens have that player. Jordan Butler is having a remarkable season. In 69 innings pitched, he has struck out 109 and is 9-1 with a 0.91 ERA. He allowed one hit in six innings against Treasure Coast in the region quarterfinal. Oh, and he's hitting .464 with eight home runs. With the one-game-a-week format until the state semifinals, Alonso is set up well. Offensively, Nick Gonzalez and Jared DeSantolo are hitting right around .350. Aside from Butler, the pitching staff has a 1.10 ERA. The Indians slipped past Newsome 2-1 in the region quarterfinals. Playing at home could be the difference for the Ravens.

Class 8A

East Lake (22-5) at Sarasota (21-9): The Eagles stayed alive last week after a 1-0, nine-inning win over Lakewood Ranch. That's what East Lake does. They also beat St. Petersburg in nine innings in the district tournament. And Sarasota only beat St. Petersburg 1-0 last week to advance. So don't be shocked if this one goes extras. Senior Connor Churchill (8-0, 0.39 ERA, 82 strikeouts), a Florida commit, is that ace that East Lake can ride. First baseman Jacob Sessa is having an outstanding season with a .473 average. Sarasota is always fundamentally sound under longtime coach Clyde Metcalf. They have won four straight and 11 of their last 12.

Steinbrenner (17-9) at Plant (21-5): This will be the fourth game between these teams this season, with Plant winning the previous three. Connor Scott has been a leader at the plate and on the mound for the Panthers. He is hitting .375 with four home runs and is 5-2 with a 1.21 ERA. Brock Fagler and Ethan Richards have also been reliable arms. Steinbrenner is the defending Class 8A state champ, but with ace CJ Van Eyk shut down with a sore arm it will be difficult to repeat. Patrick Morris and Huston Richter have each thrown 40 innings and could see action against Plant. The Warriors showed some offense in a 6-3 win over Riverview in the region quarterfinal, and that needs to continue against Plant.

Ocala Forest (16-11) at Wharton (17-8): The Wildcats narrowly escaped Ocoee 7-6 in eight innings last week in the region quarterfinals. They have won nine straight and appear to be playing their best baseball of the season. Drew Ehrhard is hitting .429 and has four homers, which leads the team. Clayton Coringrato has also shown some power with three home runs. Senior Aaron Cohn has pitched 54 ⅓ innings and is 6-4 with a 1.80 ERA. Forest is led offensively by Grant Grodi, who is hitting .510 with three home runs and 21 RBI. The likely starter is Hunter McMullen, who is 7-2 with a 0.52 ERA. Forest also squeezed out its region quarterfinal, 2-1 over Freedom.

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Class 7A

King (17-11) at Hillsborough (21-4): Another Hillsborough County rematch of district rivals. The Terriers have won two of three against the Lions, including the past two meetings. Hillsborough has won 16 straight games. Tim Elko and Nick Romano are both hitting over .400 and Terence Doston is hitting .371. The Terriers hit .335 as a team, so there are few easy outs in the lineup. King is led by Dehreon Pressley, who is hitting .379 with eight doubles. Brian Lee has thrown almost 70 innings and is 9-3 with a 1.00 ERA. He'll need one more good start to get past Hillsborough.

Sunlake (16-11) at Northeast (20-7), 7:30: Yes, Northeast won the district tournament final 9-0 over Sunlake two weeks ago, but throw that one out. The Seahawks did not start ace Tommy Mace, got behind early and never really challenged. Expect them to be much more motivated this time around. Mace is 8-2 with a 1.29 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 70 innings. Northeast, however, has won all three previous meetings this season and hasn't allowed a run in its last three games. Pitchers Lucas Smith (8-1, 1.14) and Logan Wolf (6-1, 1.03) have gotten better as the season went on. Vincent Brooks is hitting .370 with 18 RBIs.

Class 6A

Jefferson (17-9) at Jesuit (22-6): Yet another district final rematch. Jesuit went through a rough patch to end the regular season with three straight losses, but once the playoffs rolled around it has settled down. The Tigers have yet to give up a playoff run, and that includes a 10-0 win over Jefferson in the district final. Jack Anderson and Price Sartor pitched that game and that will likely be the rotation again. Anderson has a 0.80 ERA in 52 ⅔ innings pitched. McGuire Weaver has been hot all season. He is hitting .436 with 19 RBIs. Jefferson will have to forget about the district final. Michael Dominguez pitched well in a 3-1 win over Land O'Lakes in the region quarterfinals and he'll need to do that same against the Tigers. Robby Martin has had a tremendous junior season with a .418 average and nine homers.

Dunedin (20-8) at Lake Wales (17-10): The Falcons have kind of flown under the radar, but they are a proven tournament team. They won the Dunedin spring tournament and have won eight straight. Ray Sass (.418), Jonathan Hubbard (.423) and Alex Sexton (.394) have been tough outs all season. Pitching will be the key. Lake Wales can hit. The Highlanders have a .362 team batting average. Senior Juan Flores is hitting .520 with nine doubles, and Bryce Hulett is hitting .449 with 14 doubles. Hulett and Nick Walters are the main arms. Hulett is 6-1 with a 1.27 ERA, while Walters is 4-4 with a 1.984.

Class 5A

Nature Coast (19-9) at Orlando Bishop Moore (16-12): The Sharks have put together a six game win streak at the right time. An impressive 15-5 win over Hernando in the district final was followed by a region quarterfinal win over Lake Highland Prep. Jonathan Gates has been the main player both on the mound and at the plate. Bishop Moore has played a tough schedule and got past Hernando 4-1 last week. But if Gates is on and the offense shows up, the Sharks have a chance to upset on the road.

Region finals

Class 4A

Orlando First Academy (23-4) at Calvary Christian (27-0): This could be one of the best games around. The Warriors just keep on winning despite some recent setbacks. It looks as if shortstop/pitcher Graham Hoffman will be out one more week due to appendicitis. And senior third baseman Curt Leavens is out with a cut foot. But sophomore pitcher Nolan Hudi has stepped up, as has most of the lineup. Justin Bench plays a smooth shortstop in place of Hoffman, and Christian Cairo is a good glove and arm at third base. First Academy has plenty of talented players. Shortstop Cash Case is a Notre Dame commit. Dakoda Grove and Kendrick Calilao are both hitting .380. Joseph Charles is the top pitcher with a 1.6 ERA.

Class 3A

Cambridge Christian (23-6) at Bishop McLaughlin (21-8): This is a rematch of the district final, which was a beauty. The Hurricanes won 2-1 in eight innings. The Lancers have lost two straight to Bishop McLaughlin this season, but clearly this game could go either way. Senior Alex Smith has pitched 53 innings for the Lancers and is 5-2 with a 1.85 ERA. Junior Austin Hessinger is the top hitter with a .378 average. Dominic Diaz has been a workhorse on the mound for the Hurricanes. He's pitched 72 innings and is 8-1 with a 1.36 ERA and five complete games. Dillon Morton is hitting .400 with 19 RBI.

Indian Rocks Christian (20-8-1) at Fort Myers Canterbury (24-5) (at Florida Gulf Coast): The Golden Eagles are playing well at the right time. They've won five straight after losing 12-9 to undefeated Calvary Christian. But this game will be a big challenge. Collin Booten, a Calvary transfer, has been a welcome addition to the pitching staff. He is 7-1 with a 1.13 ERA. Add in Oakley Albinson (62 strikeouts in 49 innings) and Aaron Ackerman (4-0, 0.98 ERA) and the pitching is solid. Parker Farris is hitting .473 with 11 doubles to lead the offense. The Cougars blew out Northside Christian 10-0 in the region semifinals. The defending Class 3A champs will again be hard to beat, especially with senior Sam Keating (10-1, 0.82 ERA, 80 strikeouts) on the mound.

Class 2A

Keswick Christian (20-7-1) at Naples Seacrest Country Day (20-8): The Crusaders have put it together in the postseason. They've won four straight, but face a tough challenge on the road. The offense, led by Nick Berryman (.440, 23 RBI) will have to continue to hit. Jaydon Difrancesco has thrown 61 innings and is 6-3 with a 2.07 ERA. Country Day has a balanced pitching staff, with four who have at least 20 innings. The Stingrays have a .408 team batting average, led by Matt DiNoricia's .524 average.