Plant holds off Lennard, 7-4
Plant senior Rocco Demarinis doubled in a pair of runs in the Panthers six-run third inning (813Preps file photo).
By Bob Bellone, Senior Staff Writer
RUSKIN – A pair of senior aces went the distance in an opening-round matchup of reigning Saladino Tournament champions Saturday.
Plant southpaw Robert Satin got the better deal with six early runs of support from his teammates in a 7-4 victory against Lennard and right-hander Jack Mueller.
Lennard’s Jack Mueller struck out five in his complete game outing (813Preps file photo).
In the role of visiting team on its home field, Lennard opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the third. Tim Mendizabal drew a leadoff walk, and Matthew Counts followed with a single. Alex Brazer drove in both runners with a double that Panthers left fielder Kirk Kolano almost tracked down at the fence.
Plant collected six of its eight hits while batting around in the bottom half of the inning. Rocco Demarinis highlighted the six-run rally with a two-run double.
“Take away that inning, we’re walking home a lot happier,” said Mueller, who walked no one and struck out five. “In that one inning, the slider was up – that’s my best pitch. Couldn’t find it.
“I felt like I couldn’t buy an out. Everything they were hitting was finding a gap. Every good pitch, they were still hitting. It was hard to get an out. The result was six runs.”
Satin was most appreciative.
“These boys always have my back,” he said. “I trust my offense when I can’t go out there and shut their offense down.”
Satin was nearly untouchable in the first two innings, notching half of his eight strikeouts without allowing a hit. He issued only two bases on balls in the game.
Panthers senior Robert Satin pitched a complete game against the Longhorns (813Preps file photo).
The Longhorns added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings – the first set up by Joseph Rivera’s leadoff triple – to make it 6-4, but surrendered an unearned run in the sixth.
“The first game of the Saladino always seems like it’s the hardest game,” said Dennis Braun, who earned his second tournament championship last year in the Gold Division.
“I knew this was coming, and they’ve got a good ballclub,” he said, “and so we thought we’d run our best guy. And then, you know, they punched us in the mouth. It was good that we came back in and punched them back.”
Victor Martinez, who guided Lennard to the Silver Division crown last season, saw something good in his players in the wake of the fateful third inning.
“They could have packed it in and been done with it,” he said, “but they scratched and clawed and gave us a shot at the end. We just couldn’t do it, but that’s baseball, and that’s life.”
In the early game at Lennard, designated hitter Keenan Rutledge delivered the deciding run with a two-out RBI single in the home sixth, leading Alonso to a 5-3 victory against Tampa Catholic. The senior also led off a three-run third with a double for the Ravens.
Round-robin play in Pool A resumes on the same field Monday, when Alonso takes on Plant at 4 p.m. Lennard and Tampa Catholic will follow at 7.
#8 Plant 7, #4 Lennard 4
L 002|110|0 – |4|4|2
P 006|001|x – |7|8|1
W – Satin (3-0); L – Mueller (1-1)
2B – Brazer (L); DeMarinis (P); 3B – Rivera (L). Records – L (5-2); P (4-2).
