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Hernando Today

Burning Hot Bears

BASEBALL

Photo by JOE DiCRISTOFALO

Central High's J.T. Simpson, 10, attempts to slide under a high throw to Hernando catcher Ryan Brady Thursday evening at Hernando High. Simpson was tagged out on the play.

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: March 12, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - Ryan Garrity and Central High didn't need a ton of runs to win Thursday night against Hernando High. But the senior left-hander and the burning hot Bears will surely take them.

Central won for the sixth time in its last seven games, scoring double-figure runs for the third time in that span in a 16-4 pasting of the Leopards at Emerson Field.

"It was great," Garrity said. "Guys hit when they needed to hit. The key thing was hitting behind the runner.

"…We're just pumped going into every game. We're ready to go. We took this as a two-run, three-run game the whole way. We kept going at it."

Garrity benefitted greatly from the offensive outburst, recording his first win of the season on the mound. Not that he didn't do his part, going 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks while striking out 10.

His line would have looked even better, but he permitted two runs on three hits while only recording one out in the bottom of the seventh, which followed a marathon top half of the frame that lasted roughly a half hour.

Though he warmed up during the rally, in which the Bears (6-5) sent 13 batters to the plate while scoring eight times, he admitted to feeling a little tired in the final inning.

Heading into the seventh, Central already had an 8-2 advantage, pushing across four runs apiece in the third and sixth, and pounded out 16 hits against four different Hernando (3-7) pitchers.

"(Hernando) Coach (Tim) Sims told me, 'the difference in the game was your boys hit behind runners and mine didn't.' He might be right," Central Head Coach Mike Ellison said. "I don't think we had any errors and that's a first.

"They're making contact. The pitchers are keeping us close and the bats have come to life. I can't say enough about our pitchers."

Breaking it open

A tidy, scoreless contest was broken open by the Bears in top of the third, when Garrity and J.T. Simpson drew back-to-back walks to lead off.

Ryan Beaton singled to the load the bases and Mike Ogren doubled home a run, though left fielder Weston Wirtz made a great throw to nail Simpson at the plate.

Beaton would score on a wild pitch, Sal DeFranco singled home a run and Louis Colaiacomo went the other way for a RBI double off the wall in left-center.

A sacrifice fly by Wirtz and a double by Ryan Brady pulled the Leopards within 4-2 in the bottom half, but the Bears ran away with it in the last two innings.

Beaton and DeFranco each had RBI singles in the sixth, while Kevin Gibbemeyer added a run-scoring double and Garrity came in on a balk.

Then followed the seemingly endless seventh, which included a two-run home run to left off the bat of Ogren, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored.

DeFranco had two hits and knocked in two runs, while Gibbemeyer and Beaton each went 3-for-4 with two RBI.

Central improved to 3-1 against the county's other three public schools, having already beaten Springstead and Nature Coast. The Bears lost an earlier meeting with Hernando, 2-0.

Brady, celebrating his 18th birthday, provided a pair of run-scoring doubles for Hernando, totaling three RBI.

"Two-strike hitting; they did a very good job of two-strike hitting, putting the ball in play," Sims said. "It was one of those nights I feel like being gutted with a fork.

"This team is progressing very, very good. We have a big district game tomorrow (at Springstead) and baseball season, unlike a lot of other sports, is a marathon. And we have a district tournament to prepare for and we've got six weeks to prepare for it.

"It's a good group. They'll get off the canvas. I'm not worried a bit."

CENTRAL 16, HERNANDO 4
123 456 7 R H E
CEN 004 004 8 -- 16 16 0
HER 002 000 2 -- 4 5 3
CEN – Garrity, Simpson (6) and Owens.
HER – Lane, Neff (3), Bammert (6), Stanley (7) and R. Brady.
W – Garrity (1-2). L – Lane (1-2).
2B – Ogren, Colaiacomo, Simpson, Gibbemeyer (CEN), R. Brady 2 (HER).
3B – none.
HR – Ogren (CEN).
Records – Central (6-5), Hernando (3-7).

Sports writer Chris Bernhardt Jr. can be reached at 352-544-5288 or cbernhardt@hernandotoday.com.

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