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Hernando Today

Springstead Extends Hernando Skid, 6-1

BASEBALL

Photo by JOE DiCRISTOFALO

Springstead High's Tyler Schoonover strides to the plate Friday night during his complete-game victory over visiting Hernando High.

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: March 13, 2009

SPRING HILL - For the second night in a row, Hernando High found itself on the wrong end of a meeting with a county rival.

But unlike Thursday's 16-4 home loss to Central, Friday's contest at Springstead doubly hurt because both teams are in Class 4A, District 8.

The host Eagles capitalized on five Leopard errors, four of them coming in a pivotal three-run fourth inning, and saw Tyler Schoonover put in a complete-game effort on the mound in a 6-1 victory.

"We've been playing well all year long, except for a couple innings here and there," Springstead Head Coach Frank Vitale said. "I told the kids, we could be 9-1, 10-0, we could have one or two losses if we eliminate a bad inning here and there. But when you play high school baseball, that's usually what happens.

"…I think in the beginning of the year we lacked a little confidence. But I think as we're going on we're gaining that a little bit."

Schoonover, a senior in his first year with Springstead (5-6 overall, 5-3 4A-8) after transferring from Central, allowed just one run on two hits over seven innings to improve to 3-1.

Both hits came off the bat of Kall Daniel, a RBI double in the third and a single in the fifth. Schoonover only walked two, but hit six batters, including Tyler Bammert three times. He struck out nine.

"I pitched good," Schoonover said. "The defense was good."

Costly miscues

After Daniel's double in the top of the third and Patrick Dwyer's two-out single in the bottom half made it a 1-1 game, the Eagles went ahead for good in the bottom of the fourth.

Chris Churay led off with a single and made it safely to second when the third baseman skipped a throw to the bag on Schoonover's grounder.

On the same play, the shortstop overthrew third trying to catch Churay, allowing Schoonover to advance and putting two in scoring position with none out.

The shortstop made a nice running stop of Ryan Clark's grounder up the middle, but had no play, resulting in a tiebreaking single. Derek Wohlfiel drove in another run on a groundout to first.

James Desmond reached on an error and Mike Speakman hit a grounder down the third-base line, fielded by the third baseman but ending in a high throw off the top of the first baseman's glove, bringing home Desmond.

A single by Desmond, who went 2-for-3, reached base three times and scored twice, plus a Speakman sacrifice fly tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth.

"What was big for us was we came up with a couple (runs) early in the game," Vitale said. "We got two-out hits. That's like a dagger. And I think everybody in the lineup came through tonight."

Hernando (3-8 overall, 1-7 4A-8) had chances, leaving two on in the third and wasting a bases-loaded, none-out situation the fifth. The Leopards also had a runner thrown out stealing home in the fourth.

"It was a well-played game," Hernando Head Coach Tim Sims said. "A one-inning defensive lapse got us behind it plus we lacked execution getting the bunt down a couple of times. Tonight was a struggle for us of not executing; shooting ourselves in the foot offensively.

"I'm very proud of our kids, very, very proud. They're learning the game of baseball. We have two sophomores and a freshman playing the middle infield. They're young. Right now, these are satellite games."

SPRINGSTEAD 6, HERNANDO 1
123 456 7 R H E
HER 001 000 0 -- 1 2 5
SPG 001 302 X-- 6 7 0
HER – Gates, Rollins (6) and R. Brady.
SPG – Schoonover and Clark.
W – Schoonover (3-1). L – Gates (1-3).
2B – Daniel (HER), Schoonover (SPG).
3B – none.
HR – none.
Records – Hernando (3-8 overall, 1-7 4A-8), Springstead (5-6 overall, 5-3 4A-8).

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

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