Big inning puts Bulls over Gaither in Saladino opener
Junior Vaughn Osting went the five-inning distance for Bloomingdale, striking out eight.
By Chuck Frye, Senior Staff Writer
TAMPA – It is one inning that could make a season special.
For the brunt of this season, Bloomingdale has been riding some dominating work on the mound as a quartet of arms have shackled opposing bats to barely over an earned run per game while averaging almost nine strikeouts per contest. In contrast, the Bulls bats have struggled, hitting only .251 with just eight extra-base hits.
Gaither leadoff batter Jackson Mirza delivers his first of two base hits in the Cowboys’ Saladino Tourney opener.
But all of that could change thanks to a commanding third inning in opening-day Saladino Tourney’s Gold Division play against Gaither. With two outs in the bottom of the third on a warm Saturday at Jefferson High, Bloomingdale got 13-straight batters on base, raking a quartet of Cowboys’ pitchers for nine hits and scoring 12 times in what would become a 12-1, mercy-rule victory.
“We were just passing the torch,” said junior Luke Long, a key catalyst to the offensive pyrotechnics. “We were moving the train and kept the bats going. When that happens, there’s no stopping us.”
Bulls second baseman A.J. Cruz slaps the tag on Gaither runner Jackson Mirza after pitcher Vaughn Osting picked the runner off second base in the first inning.
When the first Bloomingdale (10-2) batters struck out, it appeared that Gaither senior Jeffery Cavicci’s solo homer over the leftfield fence in the top of the frame would stand up at least for an inning. But when junior Izzy Perez lashed a base hit just past the dive of Cowboys shortstop Anthony Linares, few knew how extensive the onslaught would be.
Junior Matt Altman drew the start for the Cowboys, striking out four in 2 2/3 innings.
But then A.J. Cruz, Luke Long, and starting pitcher Vaughn Osting followed with singles of their own as Osting’s gave his squad the lead. Payton Jennings, the ninth batter in the inning, plated a pair with a line-drive double to left-centerfield. A Gaither mixup on a rundown and a passed ball added two more before Long delivered his second strong swing of the frame, a smash that hit halfway up the tall centerfield batter’s eye and delivered DH Vinny Dinzeo Jr., Perez (hit by pitch), and Cruz (walk) to the plate.
“That first clutch hit (from Perez) got us going,” explained Long. “All the guys in the dugout were giving us great energy and they fired us up. I got hyped and got a single … once that vibe got high, our momentum got going.”
Gaither second baseman Angel Hernandez awaits a sliding Vinny Dinzeo to complete a first-inning caught stealing.
“In the pre-season, Luke kind of struggled and we went with some other options,” said Bulls head coach Kris Wilken. “He got an opportunity six or seven games ago and did really well. Now he’s worked his way into the four-hole in the lineup.”
Osting ended the onslaught with a rocket to dead centerfield for an RBI triple before finishing out his five-inning complete-game stint on the hill.
“(Gaither’s) a really good hitting team and that forced Vaughn to change his approach from working around his fastball,” said Wilken. “He switched what he normally does, went with his secondary pitches and did really well. He’s special and we’re lucky to have him.”
After taking a flip from teammate Angel Hernandez and avoiding Bulls’ base runner Izzy Perez (10), Cowboys shortstop fires to first to complete a first-inning double play.
“I was able to throw four or five pitches for strikes and continue to keep (Cowboys hitters) off balance,” said Osting, who finished with eight strikeouts while allowing four hits and a pair of walks to go with his 3-for-3 day at the dish. “Shoot, with 12 runs of support, it’s pretty easy to pitch. This was the best two-out inning in my entire career. It’s pretty impressive.”
“Vaughn is an amazing player,” opined Long. “He pitches rally well and put an amazing mash on the ball (Saturday).”
Smiles abound as Gaither senior Jeffery Cavicci is congratulated for his home run by Cowboys assistant coach Erik Mirza …
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and is greeted by his teammates at the plate after hitting his first homer of the season.
Gaither leadoff batter Jackson Mirza was the only one to solve Osting, slashing a pair of singles and stealing three bases.
“Mirza got two knocks and was running off me,” Osting mused. “I’ve got to do better holding runners on and throwing strikes.”
Gaither’s Jackson Mirza kicks up some dust and topples the Bulls’ Izzy Perez after stealing third base, his third swipe of the game.
Saladino play will continue at the Jefferson site on Monday when Wilken will send Hayden Porter (2-1, 1.07 ERA) to the mound for the 10-2 Bulls to take on Ja’Marques Benton (2-2, 4.28) and the host Dragons at 7 pm. Gaither (9-6) will play at 4 pm, facing East Bay.
The ball gets away from Cowboys catcher Ryder Warriner as Izzy Perez slides in safely for a game-tying third-inning run. The next 11 Bulls runners would also score in a two-out game-changing explosion.
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#3 Bloomingdale 12
#14 Gaither 1
G 001|00x|x – |1|3|1
B 00(12)|0xx|x – |12|13|1
W – Osting (3-1); L – Altman (1-2)
2B – Long, Jennings (B); 3B – Osting; HR – Cavicci (G). Records – G (9-6); B (10-2).
Bloomingdale catcher Braxton Wilken worked well with starter Vaughn Osting, handling all eight of the juniors strikeouts and corralling a foul popup that ended the contest.
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Gaither head coach Nelson North (right) comes out to the mound to calm down starter Matt Altman in the third inning.
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Bloomingdale junior Trey Baker chugs around third and scores on Payton Jennings’ third-inning, two-run double.
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Gaither reliever Adam Smolka deals during third-inning action.
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Bulls base runner Mason Johnson beats Gaither third baseman David Pina to the bag for a third-inning stolen base.
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Fresh off of scoring a third-inning run, Bulls’ Vinny Dinzeo (right) pulls teammate Vaughn Osting aside to give him some pointers for his at-bat. The advice must have helped as Osting drilled a triple that scored Bloomingdale’s 12th and final run of the inning.
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Cowboys senior Eddy Rojo tracks in front of the leftfield fence to grab a deep fourth-inning fly ball.
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Gaither pinch hitter Eric Perez (16) hustles to beat the throw for a fifth-inning infield single.
