Morales makes second chance count in Durant win
Durant senior Gavin Florio celebrates his game-ending strikeout, finishing off three no-hit innings and sealing the Cougars 5-2 win.
By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor
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PLANT CITY – Sometimes the absolute right call goes your way, and sometimes the unquestionably correct decision bites you, because, well, that’s baseball.
In making the right baseball call and twice intentionally walking Durant senior slugger Dylan LaPointe in tie-game, two-out, runner-on-third situations, Lennard head coach Vic Martinez flashed a modest smile after the first free pass and the ensuing fly out. The next time, well, Noah Morales was ready for his second crack at playing the hero – working the count full, fouling off a pair, and then dropping a two-run single into center and pushing the Cougars ahead in a 5-3 win.
“Dylan has earned that respect,” Martinez said of LaPointe. “He is one of the top hitters in the county, in one of the best baseball counties in this country, so he definitely had our respect and that is why we put him on.”
Dylan LaPointe had two hits early in the game, and was intentionally walked twice later in the game. LaPointe is now hitting .444 on the year, with seven RBI.
LaPointe, our All-813Preps 6A-7A Hitter of the Year in 2022, had already picked up a pair of hits earlier, including an RBI single in the second, and entered the game hitting .412 and on a 10-for-18 run leading up to his first walk in the fourth. Morales on the other hand, was two for his previous 16 when he skied an out to Longhorns left fielder Tim Mendizabal to leave a runner on third.
“We felt like we had the matchup after the first go-around with Morales,” Martinez said, “but hats off to him, (reliever) Logan (Covey) made a good pitch and he made a better swing.”
After sending a screamer just foul down the left-field line, Morales reached for a pitch away and sent a looping fly ball into the outfield behind second base with runners in motion.
Noah Morales sails a fly ball into shallow center, driving in two runs and giving Durant a Friday night win at home.
After the game, Morales said he understood the move of pitching around his teammate, but he said had a plan and a pretty good feeling he’d get a second opportunity.
“I was 0-for-4 in the last game against pitching I felt like I should have hit, and my confidence was a little bit down,” Morales said. “I feel like (Lennard) knew that, and Dylan is really hot right now, so I knew they were probably going to do it again.
“I knew what I had to do, shorten up, work on putting a ball in play and not hit a homer. Obviously, I was looking for my pitch and thank God, it worked out.”
“That was a great at bat,” Durant coach Butch Valdes said. “(Walking Dylan) was a smart move by Vic to go after (Morales), he was out a couple of times tonight and just didn’t have that groove going.
“But in that at-bat he shortened up his swing a little bit, played some pepper, and had a good at-bat – that’s what he does.”
In just the second home game of the season for Durant late in week 5, the Cougars looked a little jumpy on defense as starter Blaine Rowland had two work around errors in two of his three scoreless frames on the mound.
Durant starter Blaine Rowland tossed three no-hit innings, striking out three in a no decision.
Durant (10-2) took advantage of the scoreless pitching by scoring two in the first when Gavin Florio singled into left and scored a pair, and stretched that lead the next inning when LaPointe also chopped a ground ball single into left.
But Lennard (7-5) definitely came to fight, as defensive gems and steadying relief calmed the Cougars for the middle parts of the game. Tim Mendizabal made an impressive catch in left-center, breaking out at full speed to run down a leadoff liner to the wall to start the third, and RJ Torres made two really nice plays at first base including jumping for a line drive catch and doubling-up a runner of the bag to end the fifth.
Lennard first baseman RJ Torres fires a ball home for a force out. Torres had a trio of impressive plays in the game.
However, the Longhorns best effort was turned in on the mound from freshman righty Talan Miranda, who entered in the third and pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball, giving up just two hits.
“That is a young guy that we are really excited to have for a while,” Martinez said of Miranda. “He gets his blinders on, gets the ball, trusts his guys behind him, and just throws it in there.”
Lennard freshman Talan Miranda pitched 2 1/3 innings of shutout relief.
The Longhorns took advantage of a walk and one of five Cougars errors in the game to finally get going in the fourth. Alex Brazer grounded an RBI single to left to get his team on the board, but it looked like that could be it for the rally as LaPointe erased a runner at third. But Brazer turned on the jets, scoring from second on a line drive into right from Joseph Rivera, and Torres tied the game with a fly ball single to right.
Florio pitched three scoreless innings of relief.
While Miranda steadied things for the Longhorns on the mound, Durant turned the ball over to Florio, who went untouched for three innings, striking out four.
“One thing I love about coming on in relief is that the adrenaline is just flowing through your body,” Florio said. “That’s something I love to take advantage of, it allows me to go in and pitch with everything – with 110%.”
Durant gets right back at it on Saturday against the visiting Robinson Knights (4-6), while Lennard hosts district opponent Bloomingdale (8-3) on Tuesday.
Noah Morales throws to first, finishing off a double-play to end the top of the second.
#3 Durant 5, Lennard 3
L 000|300|0 – |3|3|1
D 000|000|0 – |5|8|5
W – Florio (2-0); L – Covey
2B – Suero (D). Records – L (7-5); D (10-2).
