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'The Mike Adams Show'

BASEBALL

Photo by ROBERT CAMPBELL

Nature Coast's Mike Adams throws a pitch during his complete-game victory over Springstead Thursday night.

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: March 19, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - Nature Coast Technical rallied around its missing head coach, and watched Mike Adams put together a spectacular all-around performance.

With Head Coach John Frascatore serving a two-game suspension for a run-in with an umpire at Hernando earlier in the week, the Sharks hosted Class 4A, District 8 and county-rival Springstead Thursday night.

Adams rebounded from a shaky first frame to throw seven solid innings, and the senior lefty also pitched in at the plate with a two-run home run, starring in a 4-1 victory.

"It was the Mike Adams Show," Springstead Head Coach Frank Vitale said. "Every time we play them he pitches and he's one of the better guys in the area.

"He threw strikes with his fastball, his curveball, his change-up. That kept our batters off-balance and he hits a two-run home run on top of it. Sometimes you have to tip your hat to the players on the other team."

Settling in

Adams improved to 5-1 on the season, permitting just one run on four hits and no walks while striking out seven.

He faced one over the minimum 18 batters from the second inning on and retired 14 of the last 15 he faced.

"I felt good," Adams said. "I struggled a little bit in the first inning. I was hanging my fastball up in the zone. But through the innings I got better."

For Springstead (6-7 overall, 6-4 4A-8), Mike Speakman led off the game with a single and eventually scored when Julian Perez beat out a potential double-play grounder to short.

Nature Coast (7-4 overall, 7-3 4A-8) catcher Matt Adams threw out a runner at second who reached on an error in the second, and tagged out another trying to steal home in the third.

In the bottom of the third, Jon Russell started off with a double. Danny Colon walked and both runners came home when Justin Beetz tripled into the right-center field gap.

After a strikeout, the clean-up man Mike Adams pulled a pitch over the right-field wall, raising his arms and bat in the air as he admired the no-doubt-about-it blast.

"They weren't giving me a fastball," Adams said. "I got two curveballs and at 3-0 I got a change-up. Once it was 3-0 I knew I wasn't going to see a fastball. At 3-1 I was expecting a curveball and I just hit it.

"It feels great (to help himself out). I don't really think about all that. I'm just up there to do what I always do. I'm not thinking that it helps myself out. I know my team will do that for me."

Patrick Dwyer matched Adams with a complete-game effort for the Eagles, putting down the last 11 Sharks following Adams' bomb and striking out eight.

Adams would allow a bloop single by Perez in the seventh that was arguably caught by the diving Russell in center, his only blemish after James Desmond's leadoff double in the third.

"Mike was in command," said Nature Coast assistant coach Pete Ruiz. "He kept it at 87 pitches. Mike was definitely a force on the mound tonight. He usually is.

"The morale is up. Coach John's suspension woke these kids up. Our kids are battling for him now. We know it was totally unfair and the kids have responded to it."

NATURE COAST 4, SPRINGSTEAD 1
123 456 7 R H E
SPG 100 000 0 -- 1 4 0
NCT 004 000 X-- 4 5 1
SPG– Dwyer and Clark.
NCT – Mi. Adams and Ma. Adams.
W – Mi. Adams (5-1). L – Dwyer (1-2).
2B – Desmond (SPG), Castro, Russell (NCT).
3B – Beetz (NCT).
HR – Mi. Adams (NCT).
Records – Springstead (6-7 overall, 6-4 4A-8), Nature Coast (7-4 overall, 7-3 4A-8).

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

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