Ross, Sickles pour it on late in decisive win at Jefferson
After his first of three straight singles, Braden Ross trots across the plate to score a fifth-inning run.
By Chuck Frye, Senior Staff Writer
TAMPA – One seemingly simple enhancement has redefined an entire season.
Normally, the Saladino Tournament provides a challenging, atypically compacted schedule that allowed its participants to quickly gauge where they were early in their campaigns.
But the FHSAA’s change in this year’s postseason has altered its role. Striving to fit a full regular season in with the expanded best-of-three game format looming throughout the regional round, teams are regularly playing three games in a week. And by also starting two weeks earlier, the venerable tourney now falls closer to the middle of the season than the beginning.
“We’re going to have 12 games under our belt by the time we get to Saladino,” Sickles head coach Eric Luksis explained. “Arms are built up a little bit more and you’re starting to figure out exactly what you’ve got at this point in the season.”
Starter Brandon Gonzales had a strong two-way game in the Gryphons’ victory, throwing 4 2/3 innings of two-hit ball with six strikeouts while getting on base three times and scoring a run.
But despite its evolving role, winning the Saladino is still a major goal.
“The challenge of playing four or five games in six days is something we’re looking forward to,” Luksis said as the Gryphons kicked off their tourney lead-in week with a convincing 12-2 victory over host Jefferson on Tuesday.
Leadoff batter Isiah Fernandez (3) is greeted by the Jefferson assistant coach Ramses Gonzalez after scoring his team’s first run.
After a tough start to the year, the win – Sickles’ fourth in a row and seventh in its last eight – continued an encouraging turn in the Gryphons’ evolution.
“We played three games our first week. We challenged our guys early and it didn’t necessarily go to plan,” Luksis explained. “Now we’re starting to figure some things out.”
After taking the flip from Charlie Martz (left), Sickles shortstop Jordan Yost (10) fires past a sliding Nate Brewer and to first to complete a second-inning double play.
Triggered by a big offensive evening from Braden Ross, Sickles (8-3) raked Jefferson pitching for 12 hits while welcoming five walks and four hit batters.
After an 0-for-2 start, Ross who, “just had to take a couple of steps back to catch my breath and reflect on past at-bats – good or bad – and kind of build on that.”
Dragons starter Ja’Marques Benton battled through three innings on the hill, yielding three runs on four hits with a pair of strikeouts.
Ross did just that, finishing with three straight singles while scoring a pair of runs.
“Last season, there was always someone in front of me and I really wanted to play,” said Ross, who is now hitting .515. “I practiced every day, hit on my own … just put in a lot of hard work.”
Sickles’ leadoff batter Jacob Taylor slides into third base after Jordan Yost’s third-inning single. Taylor was hit by a pitch, singled, and walked, scoring a pair of runs.
“Braden’s a senior but he’s a player that hasn’t been in these situations before,” Luksis said. “But we’ve relied on him heavily and he’s been outstanding so far this season. He had a huge night (against Jefferson) and was a big reason why we came out on top.”
Joining Ross with a big game at the plate were Jaden Nazar (double, single, hit by pitch), Jordan Yost (two singles, walk, HBP), Connor Bly (triple, two walks), Jacob Taylor and starting pitcher Brandon Gonzales (base hit, walk, and hit batter each).
After tripling and scoring on a fourth-inning wild pitch, Connor Bly is greeted by teammate Jordan Yost.
All but one Gryphon batter reached base, while the offense produced four runs in the middle innings before sending 12 to the plate and scoring seven runs in the seventh.
“We’ve relied on a few guys so far this season but we’re starting to lengthen out the lineup a little bit,” Luksis said. “The lineup is starting to get a little bit dangerous.”
Brandon Gonzales tosses the ball to first to end the bottom of the fourth inning.
The defense provided ample support to Gonzales (4 2/3 innings, two runs, two hits, six strikeouts) and reliever Zack Dial (2 1/3 shutout innings, two hits). Middle infielders Yost and Charlie Martz played clean ball with eight total assists and turned an early double-play, while catcher Emilio Salgado threw out a pair of would-be base stealers,
“Gonzo is the veteran on the group,” Luksis said of Gonzales. “We’re going to go to him in big spots.”
Jefferson catcher Kaiden Johnson conferences with pitcher K.J. Sampson before the start of his seventh inning.
For Jefferson (6-4), a youthful lineup featuring three freshmen and two sophomores was not the reason for the lopsided final.
“These guys have been together since August,” Dragons head coach Spencer Nunez said. “I have no excuse with being young or inexperienced. We’re prepared, we prepare every day, and to get this level of play is not great. It’s not a great feeling for us.”
Logan Galban passes his protective gear to Jefferson assistant coach Jose Figueredo after his second hit of the game.
Junior cleanup batter Logan Galban was impactful with an RBI double and a single, while Nate Brewer (HBP, single) got on base twice, but Jefferson saw its Nos. 5-through-9 batters go 1-for-12 with two walks.
“I hate to say this about my own team but we’re having problems production-wise 1-through-9,” Nunez said. “We’ve got to continue to work, I think we have to look at preparation, we have to look at our discipline, and I think we’ve got to work on certain counts to hit in. I think we have it, it’s somewhere in there.”
Sickles pitcher Brandon Gonzales (20) flips the ball to first baseman Braden Ross for the out that ends Jefferson’s third inning. Ross went 3-for-5 at the plate to raise his team-leading batting average to .515.
Both teams will take to their home diamonds on Thursday for their final pre-Saladino competition as Sickles hosts Steinbrenner and Jefferson welcomes Freedom.
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#9 Sickles 12
#13 Jefferson 0
S 102|110|7 – |12|12|1
J 100|100|0 – |2|3|3
W – Gonzales (2-1); L – Benton (2-2); S – Dial (1)
2B – Nazar (S); Galban (J); 3B – Bly (S). Records – S (8-3); J (6-4).
Dragon pitcher Ethan Savinon (29) gets a fist bump from catcher Kaiden Johnson before starting his three-inning relief stint.
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Dragons senior Ja’Marques Benton drops down a first-inning bunt that turns into a sun-aided base hit.
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With teammate Jaylen Watts coming in to back up, Jefferson third baseman Kaleb Cherry extends to pull in a first-inning foul popup.
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Sickles second baseman Charlie Martz fires to first for a sixth-inning out.
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After taking a high throw and slapping a quick tag on Jefferson’s Elijah Benton, Sickles shortstop Jordan Yost turned a potential wild pitch into a sixth-inning caught stealing.
