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By Brooke Park and Adam Edelin
The Saint Francis Catholic baseball team defeated the visiting Cedar Key Sharks, 10-0, Tuesday.
Defense Coming in Hot
First to bat, the Sharks (1-8) couldn’t find any gaps in the Wolves’ defense. Cecil Collins and Micah DeHaven made contact with the ball, but the Wolves immediately reacted with back-to-back outs. Eladio Lamberson walked and then stole second, but it was not enough as Saint Francis winning pitcher McCabe Long struck out the next batter.
The Wolves get out of the top of the first with three outs on four batters. Senior McCabe Long struck out one. @ESPNGainesville #espngainesville #saintfranciscatholicacademy #cedarkeyhighschool #saintfranciswolves pic.twitter.com/cjoyXGxTOn
— Hannah Getman (@hannahgetman) April 9, 2024
Continuous Scoring
The Wolves (9-5) were ready in the bottom of the first when they scored two runs. Ty Powell walked and then stole second base to put the Wolves in scoring position. Dylan Diaz hit a pop-fly single to shallow right field allowing Powell to advance to third. He then scored on a flyout by Chris Durstine, who drove in three for the game. Diaz scored the second run after another fly out.
Saint Francis draws first blood with back-to-back sacrifice fly balls. The Wolves lead 2-0 in the top of the first.@ESPNGainesville #saintfranciswolves #saintfrancis #cedarkey #espngainesville pic.twitter.com/Om5FvdLkFt
— Hannah Getman (@hannahgetman) April 9, 2024
The Sharks stayed scoreless for the remainder of the game, as the Wolves dominated.
In the second, the Wolves exploded with four singles and two doubles to score five runs.
After scoring 3 more, Saint Francis gets another run on a fly ball single to left center. It is 7-0 Saint Francis in the bottom of the second with 2 outs.@ESPNGainesville #saintfranciswolves #cedarkeysharks #espngainesville pic.twitter.com/Soztrbk5WG
— Hannah Getman (@hannahgetman) April 9, 2024
In the third, the Sharks had a pitching change, replacing DeHaven with Collins, in an attempt to switch up momentum. However, this was ineffective as the Wolves took advantage of walks and stolen bases to expand their lead to 9-0.
After a run, the Wolves score again on a sacrifice fly to left. They lead 9-0 in the bottom of the third with 2 outs. @ESPNGainesville #saintfranciswolves #cedarkeysharks pic.twitter.com/Tl0TMQ3e9X
— Hannah Getman (@hannahgetman) April 9, 2024
Determined To Fight
The Sharks did not give up in the fourth inning, as they started with a walk, creating hope for a score. It was short-lived when Saint Francis reliever Liam Green struck out the next three batters.
The Sharks stayed strong in the field by not allowing the Wolves to score a run in the fourth, the only scoreless inning of the game.
Taking Win
The Wolves ended the game on the run-rule when they scored their 10th run in the fifth. With two outs and Joey Calhoun on third following a walk, Diaz collected his third hit of the game to score the final run.
The Wolves get a run on a fly ball to center. This puts them up 10 to secure the run rule in the fifth inning. @ESPNGainesville #saintfranciswolves #cedarkeysharks pic.twitter.com/jiAgg6BIoM
— Hannah Getman (@hannahgetman) April 9, 2024
Up Next
Saint Francis will look to extend its four-game winning streak Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. when it plays the Hawthorne Hornets (1-8) at home.
The Sharks play the St. John Lutheran Saints at home Friday at 5 p.m.
