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Region baseball: Durant rally secures a state semifinal berth

 
Durant’s Harrison Theocharakis celebrates his sixth-inning home run, which tied the score at 2 vs. Kissimmee Osceola.
Durant’s Harrison Theocharakis celebrates his sixth-inning home run, which tied the score at 2 vs. Kissimmee Osceola.
Published May 13, 2015

PLANT CITY — In order to strengthen the defense in Durant's Class 7A region final against Kissimmee Osceola on Tuesday, coach Butch Valdes decided to leave Harrison Theocharakis, often the designated hitter, out of the lineup.

The junior admitted he was bummed when he got the news before the big game, but he thought it only meant he'd have to make the most of his limited pinch-hitting at-bats.

The Cougars trailed through the first five frames, but when Theocharakis stepped up for his first at-bat in the sixth inning, he stayed true to his challenge, sending the second pitch he saw over the rightfield wall to tie the score. That big swing was all Durant needed to get the ball rolling, and the Cougars took advantage of Osceola mistakes to tack on three more runs, winning 5-3 to advance to state.

"We needed a pop to happen," Theocharakis said of his home run, "then the rest of the team went along."

When the game began underneath a dark and stormy sky, the Cougars' chances at making it to the program's second final four seemed equally ominous. The Kowboys loaded the bases in the first inning with no outs, eventually scoring two runs to take the lead it held for most of the game.

Durant (23-6) fired back in the second, scoring on a Cesar Caro RBI single to close the gap. Durant loaded the bases in the second and again in the third and had a runner on third base in the fifth, but all of them were stranded as the lead remained painfully out of the Cougars' reach.

There might have been some missed opportunities, but Valdes said the team didn't let it get under its skin.

"It's not deflating, it just tells us right there that we can hit them," Valdes said. "And that's what everybody had in their head."

In the sixth inning, Durant broke through, and Theocharakis' solo shot was just the beginning of the Cougars' rally. Durant quickly loaded the bases with an Osceola error and two misplayed bunts. Jake Sullivan followed and flied out to the rightfielder, but when the pitcher tried to catch Justin Nardello off base at third, he overthrew the third baseman, allowing two runs to score.

Durant pushed one more across on an RBI single from Zach Barfield, and Osceola (22-5) added another in the top of the seventh on an RBI single from Javier Echevarria. Left-hander Jonah Scolaro, though, who came in relief for starter Bryce Gainer, got out of the jam soon after, getting three quick outs to close the deal.

Class 4A

Bishop Verot 1, Tampa Catholic 0: In the midst of a scoreless game, Tampa Catholic was as close to Jet Blue Park, the home of the state final four, as it has ever been. The 13 miles separating the park and Bishop Verot High will have to suffice for this year.

After 5 ½ innings of a tight-rope pitchers' duel, a dropped routine fly ball to centerfield in the sixth inning made all the difference.

"It's a part of baseball," Tampa Catholic coach Ty Griffin said. "The ball bounces that way."

Griffin went on to explain to his club how he played on the U.S. team in 1987, losing to Cuba in the Pan-American Games before the team could taste gold in the 1988 Olympics.

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The Crusaders haven't made an appearance in the state semifinals in five years.

"It's disappointing for all of our players because we know how hard we worked," Griffin said. "What I want them to hang their hats on is the experience. We had a great experience from beginning to end. We would like for there to be a few plays here and there, and the ball bounce our way here and there, but we didn't do it."

Verot's Thaddeus Ward went toe-to-toe with Crusaders starter Reeves Martin for five scoreless innings before Ward walked three straight hitters with two outs. He then reached back to strike out Garrett Back to stay unblemished.

Reeves, with a speedy fastball and a sharp breaking ball, carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Ward broke it up with a line drive to leftfield to start the rally.

"We said from the beginning the pitcher was going all the way," Ward said. "So we stepped up on the plate to make him come in. He came in and I caught one."

Reeves battled back with a strikeout but was hurt by an error at shortstop.

Verot's Anthony Tejeda lifted a high-fly ball into center that should have ended the inning. Instead the error plated the lone run and set the stage for Ward to induce a groundball double play, then field a bunt for the final out in the top of the seventh.

Verot (23-6) put two on with one out in the third, but Cory Castellano was cut down at the plate and Martin induced a Ward groundout to get out of the jam.

Adam Regan, Special to the Times