Hessemyer, Fowler lead Warriors to first win

Steinbrenner starter Cayden Hessemyer, who threw five innings of one-hit ball with nine strikeouts

By Chuck Frye, Senior Staff Writer

LUTZ – What’s the best way for a team to recover from a tough loss? Come out the next game and rake.

After being one-hit in a frustrating opening-day setback to Armwood, Steinbrenner brought the metal Thursday night against visiting Wharton. Lighting up three pitchers for 11 hits, five for extra bases, the Warriors’ attack allowed starting pitcher Cayden Hessemyer to relax and excel in a 6-0 shutout.

For a few more photos from this game, click here.

“I’m not surprised with what we did (after the defeat),” said Hessemyer, who threw five brilliant innings in 55-degree temperatures, allowing just one hit while walking none and striking out nine including four of the last five Wildcat batters he faced.

“I’ve been working on three pitches (fast ball, slider and change-up) and I trust all of them,” he said. “And the offense was amazing.”

Warriors courtesy runner Aiden Carew beats Wharton pitcher Daniel Duno’s tag to score on a passed ball.

Hessemyer played a role in that as well from the three hole, delivering three singles and scoring a pair of runs.

“I just try to shorten up my swing and hit line drives,” Hessemyer said. “I’ve got to get on base for the team somehow.”

The senior got support up and down the lineup:

  • Catcher Jorge Romero had a second-inning double and a single in the fifth, scoring two runs, and threw out a Wharton runner trying to steal in the third inning,

  • Clean-up hitter Aiden Forde ripped a first-inning double down the leftfield line and added an RBI single in the fifth,

First baseman Aiden Forde catches pitcher Cayden Hessemyer’s throw to retire leadoff batter Justis Meadows. Forde had two hits including a double in Steinbrenner’s first victory of the season.

 

  • Junior Kason Bell drilled a leadoff double in the second inning

Kason Bell yells to his bench after beating Justis Meadows tag for a second-inning double

  •  Noah Fowler laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt in the second to advance Bell, then stepped up when behind in the count to lash a fourth-inning, opposite-field solo home run.

“On the bunt, I was definitely just looking for anything close to put down,” Fowler explained. “My next at-bat, I got two strikes because I was pulling off of the ball, so I just tried to catch the barrel of my bat. I got it deep in the zone and went to the right side.”

Steinbrenner head coach John Crumbley high-fives Noah Fowler as the junior rounds the bases after his key fourth-inning home run.

“Noah’s homer (which extended Steinbrenner’s lead to 4-0) was big for us. It gave us some breathing room,” head coach John Crumbley said. “He got a lot of experience last year as a sophomore and we need him to play like that. When he does, it’s contagious.

”We had a good workout on Wednesday and made some adjustments,” Crumbley continued. “We had a few too many strikeouts (Thursday, with 10) but we also had some good two-strike production.”

After Hessemyer’s mound dominance, junior Landen Boever allowed a walk and fanned two in the sixth, before classmate Kelton Meares tossed a 1-2-3 seventh with a K.

Reliever Kelton Meares celebrates with catcher Jorge Romero after his perfect seventh inning closed out a Warriors victory

“Cayden’s a strikeout pitcher and he averages 15 pitches an inning,” Crumbley said of the decision to pull his ace. “He’s always on a strict pitch count early and there’s no way we were going to run him up there any longer. And it’s only our second game and we’ve thrown five guys after working eight in the preseason. We’re going to need as many arms as we can get with the Saladino (Tournament) coming in a couple of weeks.”

Wharton leftfielder Jonathan Delgado races in to make a fine sliding catch of a Jorge Romero fly ball as teammate Jeremiah Brown hustles out to help

For Wharton (0-2), head coach Mike Burgess is looking for his entire squad to lift its collective compete level, especially considering they gave up a run on a passed ball and another on a throwing error.

“It’s simple … if we did do our job, we’d have won the game,” he said. “I feel the guys can do a little more to compete. We’ve got to elevate each other, come out with effort and play as a unit. That’s it.”

Wharton pitcher Jariel Garriga

Sophomore Jeremiah Brown had the Wildcats’ lone hit, while pitchers Daniel Duno (three innings, five hits, five strikeouts), Jariel Garriga (two frames, five hits, four Ks) and Connor Shore (scoreless inning with one hit and one strikeout) had moments of effectiveness.

Wharton starter Daniel Duno

Opening with a tough stretch of games including Tampa Bay Tech on Tuesday and Plant on Thursday, Burgess said: “The best time to crank up the season is to get a win now. We’ve got to get a win and get rolling.”

Steinbrenner also has a rugged week ahead, facing defending state champ Sickles on Tuesday at home, before taking on Lennard on Thursday.

⚾

Steinbrenner 6, Wharton 0

W 000|000|0 – |0|1|1
S  201|120|x – |6|11|0
W – Hessemyer (1-0); L – Duno (0-1)
2B – Scotch, Romero, Bell (S); HR – Fowler (S). Records – W (0-2); S (1-1).

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