A baker’s dozen K’s for Satin as Plant scores nine at Crest

Senior lefty Robert Satin struck out 13, picking up his second win on the mound for Plant.

By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor

Click here for our photo gallery Plant’s visit to Crest.

DOVER – After dropping games to Steinbrenner and Gaither, Plant was in need of a little consistency as the Panthers traveled east to face off with Strawberry Crest.

Consistent, steady and dominating – that’s the performance standard Plant has come to expect from senior ace Robert Satin. And against the Chargers, that is exactly what Satin delivered, as the Florida-signed lefty pounded in his fastball and pulled the string on his curveball all night, striking out 13 and limiting Crest to just three hits.

In support, Plant’s offense churned out runs as the No. 3 Panthers traveled home with a decisive, 9-0 win against No. 4 Strawberry Crest.

Plant (2-2) got its offense going in the second as Danny Cerelli led off the inning with a walk, and on the next pitch senior Rocco Demarinis sent a fly ball toward I-4 for his first homer of the season.

“I saw that (Crest starting pitcher Alex Philpott) was throwing first-pitch fastballs to the first four hitters, and he was struggling to find the zone a little,” Demarinis said. “So, I knew I was getting a fastball and just jumped on it.

“Usually, I know two runs is enough for Rob, and with him on the mound everyone feels comfortable at the plate and we just kept rolling on offense.”

Senior Rocco Demarinis jogs around the bases after his two-run homer in the second inning.

 

Plant skipper Dennis Braun said he was happy to see how his team responded after the two early-season losses.

“We got the big hit early and with having Satin on the mound, that always helps,” he said. “I said at the beginning of the season, if we were 2-2 out of the gate, I’d be pretty happy and I wasn’t quite sure it would work out the way it did, but we’re happy. We’ll settle in now, the bats got going – it was a good night.”

As stated, Satin (2-0) has made the most of early run support and he faced just one over the minimum the next three innings.

“I was using my fastball to get them off the plate,” Satin said, “then I finally found my curveball and settled in early after my team gave me some run support.”

A first-inning infield single by Strawberry Crest (2-2) senior Arjun Nimmala served as the Chargers lone hit before RayAllen Vasquez and Jace Raburn singled in the fifth, but in each occasion, Satin limited the damage.

Strawberry Crest senior Arjun Nimmala just beats out an infield single in the first inning. He’d get as far as third base, before Satin clamped down and got out of the inning. 

During that time, a pair of errors on a Jack Meade ground ball scored one in the third; Satin helped his own cause in the fifth with an RBI line drive single, before Meade got in the hit column with his first of two hits in the game, driving in a pair.

The game featured a pair of UF signees on the mound to start, with Philpott (0-2) going five innings for the Chargers, allowing five earned runs but finishing with eight strikeouts.

Chargers senior Alex Philpott fell to 0-2 on the season, but struck out eight in his five innings on the mound.

The Panthers finished off the night’s scoring in the sixth with three more runs, as Trey Freeman (2-for-4, two runs) got the inning going with a two-out single, Cash Strayer (2-for-4, two runs) doubled in a pair, followed by another RBI single from Satin. Plant tried to put up the 10th run on a double from Meade, but the runner was thrown out at the plate to allow the game to continue without invoking the mercy-rule.

“I know we have the potential with this offense, to put up runs,” Satin said. “This was the kind of game we needed to get our mojo back.”

Senior Jack Meade was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in the win.

After Satin’s 13th K for the second out of the sixth, Plant turned to senior Michael Hawks to finish the game. Crest loaded the bases on an error, and Akhil Nimmala single and a walk, but Hawks escaped with a fly out to foul territory in right. Another Panthers error allowed a runner in the seventh, but Hawks kept that contained with three-straight outs, including a strikeout.

Michael Hawks reliever Satin in the sixth and recorded the final four outs, allowing one hit, but without yielding a run. 

Plant will host Wharton next Wednesday, before opening its Saladino Tournament title defense with a game at No. 8 Lennard next Saturday; while the Chargers gets a chance to shake off the drubbing with a game on the road at No. 6 Plant City tonight.

Plant 9, Strawberry Crest 0

P 021|033|0 – |9|9|2
S 000|000|0 – |0|4|3
W – Satin (2-0); L – Philpott (0-2)
2B – Meade, Strayer (P); HR – Demarinis (P). Records – P (2-2); S (2-2).

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