Palm Harbor scores six in extras to top Durant

Hurricanes junior Brandon Dees worked 6 2/3 innings on the mound, holding Durant scoreless on just three hits and striking out eight.

By Lily Belcher, Staff Writer

PLANT CITY – It was scoreless through eight innings Tuesday night, until Palm Harbor finally pieced together some offense to give them a 6-0 win over the Cougars.

Durant starter Chase Mobley had tossed seven innings with 14 strikeouts. Palm Harbor starter Brandon Dees tossed 6 2/3 with eight strikeouts. It was a classic pitchers’ duel.

Fourteen strikeouts for Mobley was by no means a shock, in fact, it was on par for his performance throughout the season, ending his year with 104 in his 53-plus innings.

Durant righty Chase Mobley struck out 14 in a seven-inning no-decision – finishing his senior season with 104 K’s.

Even Palm Harbor’s coach Tom Hilbert said he had to tip his hat to the Florida State commit.
A quiet eighth inning from both sides gave way to the loud ninth for Palm Harbor.

“Sometimes in this sport, when somebody either gets an extra out or so, it makes it easier to put up a crooked number,” Hilbert said.

That “extra out” came when Palm Harbor’s Cole Huddleston took first on a dropped third strike with two outs and it fell apart for the Cougars. A Smith Wortham RBI double and a wild pitch would plate three quick runs for Palm Harbor.

“We like our guys,” Hilbert said. “We like the way we play the game, play hard.”

Then, Hurricane Alex Walker sent a three-run homerun over the left field wall, putting a regional quarterfinal win far from Durant’s grasp.

“We trusted in ourselves,” Hilbert said. “Of course, you have to. Everybody that’s still playing is going to trust themselves.”

The Cougars were retired in order in the home-half of the frame by senior lefty Jackson Walford (Win; 2 1/3ip, one hit, two K’s), sending them to a disappointment-filled walk back to the lockers.

Durant had several calls go against them, including one in the bottom of the seventh, but coach Butch Valdes said it was the lack of offense (just four singles) that killed their dreams of a state title.

“We didn’t do the things that we normally do,” Valdes said. “We didn’t do the small ball. We didn’t do just normal, basic stuff to get the runs in for Chase.”

“It’s baseball,” Mobley said. “We didn’t score runs.”

While it might not have resulted in advancing to the regionals semifinals, Valdes said he was proud of the team, which includes 11 seniors that finish the year 21-5.

“It was a great season,” he said. “I wish it had gone longer with the talent that we have.”

Palm Harbor’s win earns the Hurricanes a region semifinal game at Windermere on Friday, after the Wolverines defeated its district foe Orlando Olympia for the second-straight game, by a score of 6-1.

⚾ Class 7A-Region 3 ⚾

Palm Harbor 6, Durant 0 (9)

P 000|000|6 – |6|6|1
D 000|000|0 – |0|4|2
W – Walford (5-0); L – Brooks (0-2)
2B – Wortham (P); HR – Walker (P). Records – P (17-8); D (21-5).