Mendizabal paces Armwood to win at Tech
Armwood junior Tim Mendizabal was 3-for-4, with two RBI for the Hawks (photo by Lily Belcher).
By Lily Belcher
Correspondent
TAMPA – Armwood took its second victory of the season in Friday night’s game at Tampa Bay Tech, outscoring the Titans 8-4.
The Hawks’ bats struck first in the third inning with back-to-back singles by senior Austin Leever and sophomore Carlos Cruz, and a series of errors and wild pitches pushed both Armwood (2-0) runners across.
Tampa Bay Tech (0-2) answered with a run in the bottom of the inning, thanks to an RBI by Ethan Jones, but the Hawks’ bats came alive in the fourth.
Antonio Rodriguez took first on an error to lead off the top of the inning, followed by a Matty Hall single, which moved him to third. Junior outfielder Tim Mendizabal drove home both runners with a bases clearing, line drive triple to the left field wall, bringing the score to 4-1. Cruz batted in Mendizabal, and Trey McKinnie sent in Cruz with a double, adding two more runs to Armwood’s tally.
The Titans’ Sadarian Austin singled and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Stacey Robinson walked, followed by a two RBI double by Javion McKay, who scored on another RBI hit by Jones.
However, the three-run, fourth inning rally by Tech was not enough to top Armwood’s powerful offense.
Armwood scored two more insurance runs in the seventh on an RBI double by Jacob Johns and RBI ground out by Hall.
“It felt good playing for Armwood…I’m just doing the best I can to help the team out. I’m happy that we are starting off hot this season,” said Mendizabal, who went 3-for-4 and was just a homerun shy of hitting for the cycle.
Hawks coach Bobby Mondoux said he has seen growth in Mendizabal in his time with the team, mentioning that the outfielder had focused more on getting hits for the team.
While Armwood’s offense was the star of the show, its double-digit strikeout pitching from Jacob Johns (win, eight strikeouts) and Justin Corns (three-inning save, eight K’s) kept the Titans at bay and impressed Mondoux.
“Pitching was unbelievable. Jacob and Justin – both seniors [and have] been with me for four years – were lights out tonight,” Mondoux said. “They had everything working and they went up there with passion and they were aggressive on the mound. They had the will to win, and they pretty much put the team on their backs towards the end.”
The Hawks will play at home against the Strawberry Crest, and the Titans will face the Wharton Wildcats on Tuesday, March 1 at 7 pm.
Armwood 8
Tampa Bay Tech 4
A 002|400|2 – |8|11|2
TBT 001|300|0 – |4|5|2
W – Johns; L – Jones; S – Corns
2B – Johns, Mendizibal, McKinnie (A); McKay, Figueroa (TBT); 3B – Mendizibal, Leshko (A). Records – A (2-0); TBT (0-0).
