Gaither wins in extras against Freedom
By Rick Cantor
Staff Writer
TAMPA – In baseball, sometimes the most subtle of movements are the difference between winning and losing a game.
When Tucker Bailey stepped to the plate for Gaither with a man on second and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, the senior first baseman noticed something in the delivery of Freedom pitcher Marshall Chastain.
“I noticed he was tipping his curveball a little bit,” said Bailey. “He was opening up a little early and I saw it right out of his hand.”
The observant Bailey laced the first pitch he saw into right center to score courtesy runner James Maccarone as the Cowboys took down the Patriots 2-1 at Frank Permuy Park on Wednesday.
The game-winning RBI ended what had been a pitcher’s duel between a pair of seniors, Gaither’s Anthony Dimillo and Freedom’s Michael Morrison.
Gaither senior Anthony Dimillo (left) and Tucker Bailey (photo by Rick Cantor).
Gaither (8-12) had won five out of their last six, while Freedom (14-6) loses a one-run game for the second-consecutive night.
Defense was the name of the game early as Gaither’s young outfielders made big plays. In the first inning, sophomore Josh Choe kept Freedom off the board with a perfect throw home to nail Raul Olivera at the plate. In the second inning, freshman Jackson Mirza got into the action with a sliding catch on a sinking liner off the bat of Aiden Kraf.
The Patriots got on the board in the top of the third as Ian Potts drew a one out walk, stole second and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch from Dimillo, the only blemish on a spectacular night for the senior.
Gaither answered back in the bottom of the frame as Angel Hernandez singled, moved to second on a bunt by Mirza and scored on error to tie the contest.
From the fourth inning on, Morrison (6.1 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) and Dimillo (8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) were on cruise control. Dimillo had the very rare three-pitch inning in the sixth inning, and only needed five pitches to retire the Patriots in the seventh.
“My thought was to let them hit the ball, let my defense work. I wasn’t going to blow it by anybody,” said Dimillo. “I was mostly using my sinker. I was in a groove those two innings and it was great seeing the defense make plays. I have a lot of trust in them.”
The complete-game victory should add more confidence to a young Gaither team that seems to be finding its footing late in the season.
“Our chemistry has always been there, we just needed time to play for each other,” said Dimillo. “Coach (Nelson) North is a such great coach and truly cares about us.”
The Cowboys are back in action tomorrow night hosting Strawberry Crest, as is Freedom, which looks to rebound versus Spoto.
⚾⚾⚾⚾
Gaither 2
(2) Freedom 1 – eight innings
F 001|000|00 – |1|5|2
G 001|000|01 – |2|7|0
W – Dimillo (2-4); L – Chastain (5-1)
Records – F (14-6); G (8-12).
