Hernando Staves Off Oak Griner, 5-3

WILDWOOD - It wasn't the best performance for Hernando, and if the team plans on a longer ride in the AAA Majors (ages 11-12) All-Stars District 6 Tournament, it will have to do better. But it was good enough to earn a 5-3 win over Oak Griner Monday at Wildwood's Millennium Park.

Hernando advanced to meet San Antonio in a winner's bracket game at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Millennium Park.

"Our defense played well tonight," summed up Hernando coach Dudley Cullum, "and we had key hits at the right time."

But despite the timely hitting and errorless play, his team's performance was far from perfect.

"We can't have six strikeouts," warned Cullum. "We've got to hit the ball better."

Key spot

Leading 2-1 going into the fourth inning, Hernando got a one-out double from Kaleb Johnson, who moved to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch.

Hernando would add two more runs in the sixth on a walk to Addison Lowman, a run-scoring single by Bradley Platt, a double by Isaiah Cullum and a wild pitch that scored Platt.

Those runs proved necessary when Oak Griner struck for two runs in the bottom of the sixth on a double by Jacob Grant.

But Gavin Frascatore, who issued two walks before Grant's double, got out of the jam by also recording three strikeouts in his only inning pitched.

The pitching win went to Lowman, the game's starter.