Kicking off a grueling stretch of the year in which Plant City was set to play six games over a 12-day period, the Raiders have gone 2-1 over the past week, with narrow wins over Sumner and Riverview and a loss to Newsome.
While their offense has struggled to find much production of late, the Raiders’ strong pitching staff has continued to give Plant City an opportunity to stay in the win column. Last Thursday the team traveled to Sumner where they came away with a 2-1 victory, led by sophomore starter Chase Mobley who allowed just two hits and one earned run while striking out eight over his six innings of work, juniors Landen Robert and Adan Longoria drove in the Raiders’ two runs in the contest.
Bouncing right back on Friday in a district matchup against Newsome, their second district game of the season following a 4-0 win over Riverview earlier in the month, the Raiders were unable to get anything going at the plate. Adan Longoria started the contest strong on the mound for Plant City, holding Newsome without a hit through three innings, but ultimately couldn’t remain perfect in the fourth inning as two doubles paved the way for the Wolves’ only two runs of the night. Despite Plant City allowing just two, that’s all Newsome would need as they escaped with a 2-0 shutout victory over the Raiders.
On Tuesday, Plant City jumped right back into district play against Riverview again where their pitching depth proved key in getting the 3-2 victory. While junior Preston Rogers typically serves as the Raiders closer, the condensed schedule pushed him into the starting rotation against the Sharks and he shined with a complete game, allowing just two hits and two runs – neither of them earned – while striking out seven.
The Raiders now sit at 10-3 on the year and will return to action on Thursday against Brandon before taking on Steinbrenner on Saturday.
Coming off of back-to-back contests in which Durant put up double-digit runs – a 10-7 win over Steinbrenner and an 11-4 win over East Bay – the Cougars hosted then-undefeated Lennard last Thursday, falling 3-2 in a close contest. Junior Ian Bast got the start for Durant, working four innings before turning the ball over to freshman reliever Jack Brooks who worked three shutout innings to finish the game, allowing just two hits in his third appearance of the season.
On Saturday, Durant faced another tough opponent in Wharton but the bats were back alive for the Cougars as they came away with a 12-10 victory. The offensive output was led by junior catcher Dylan LaPointe, launching his third home run of the season en route to a four-RBI day.
And it was right back to business as usual on Tuesday as the Cougars put up double-digit runs for the fourth time in five games in an 11-1 victory over Chamberlain.
The Cougars took a quick lead in the first as a two-out base hit from LaPointe ultimately led to a 1-0 lead on an RBI double from Oscar Fernandez. Then in the third, sophomore Nick April-Gath reached safely on an error and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Aidan Welsh before being driven home on a double from LaPointe, coming up big for Durant once again.
Leading 2-0 in the fourth, Durant broke the game open with a seven-run inning to take a 9-0 lead. In the fifth, Noah Morales led off the frame with a base hit and moved over to third on an infield single from Avery Cherry. Another infield single from Devin Suero loaded the bases and with Chamberlain’s defense playing in and the game on the line, Welsh was able to push the game-ending run across as a ground ball to short couldn’t be fielded quickly enough to beat Morales at the plate.
“They’re putting the ball in play, which is key,” head coach Butch Valdes said about Durant’s offense. “We struggled the other day and bounced back against Wharton. We didn’t hit the ball very well against Lennard, we didn’t make adjustments, but they figured it out. We had a good practice before Wharton on Saturday and I think the guys have figured out what they’ve got to do. And we need to have that same practice again because we’ve got Newsome on Thursday and they’re going to be tough.”
Bast put together a strong outing for Durant in their win over Chamberlain, allowing one run over four innings before freshman Dylan Hotz entered the game to close the door in the fifth.
The offensive production has not just been a welcome sight for the Cougars, but crucial as they have seen several pitchers miss time with injuries. Perhaps none bigger than sophomore Blaine Rowland. The absent arms have allowed young pitchers to step up and get some experience throughout Durant’s 9-5 start, but Rowland should be set to return in the coming weeks to provide some much-needed assurance to a currently thin pitching staff as the Cougars approach postseason play.
Strawberry Crest cruised to victory last Thursday with a 16-1 win over Middleton in five innings. Seven different players in the Chargers’ lineup notched an RBI in the big win, led by three from senior Ethan Pues and a pair from junior Ray Allen Vasquez. Juniors Alex Philpott and Zachary Redner handled the pitching duties with two innings each, combining for nine strikeouts while allowing just one hit and one run.
To round out the week, Strawberry Crest hosted 9-2 Newsome on Wednesday.
While Strawberry Crest played their game against Newsome on Wednesday, the contest concluded after the Plant City Observer had gone to press. Further coverage will be provided.