Benton delivers in Jefferson’s “wake up” win over Bulls
Shaking off a slow start, lefty Ja’Marques Benton retired 10-straight Bloomingdale batters at one point for a comeback victory.
By Chuck Frye, Senior Staff Writer
TAMPA – Jefferson got off to a tepid start Monday and Spencer Nunez wasn’t having any of it.
As the visiting team for their Day Two Saladino Tournament matchup, the Dragons were easily retired in order then saw their defense commit an error as Bloomingdale scored two runs in its first three batters.
Head coaches (Jefferson’s Spencer Nunez in blue, and Bloomingdale’s Kris Wilken in black) and their captains meet pre-game to go over ground rules.
This caused the head coach to take an uncommonly early trip to the mound, not to calm his troops down but to shake them up. Turning to walk back to the dugout, Nunez shouted a message that the residents in the condos far beyond the leftfield fence could hear.
“Wake up!,” he bellowed.
Jefferson third baseman Ethan Savinon looks to the infield after Vinny Dinzeo’s first-inning single fell between him and leftfielder Logan Galban.
And to Jefferson’s credit, that’s exactly what it did, turning the tide in every phase of the game to take a 6-4 victory and remain unbeaten in Gold Division round-robin play.
“I said exactly what I meant, I meant exactly what I said,” Nunez explained of the unique motivational tool. “I felt like that’s exactly what they needed, not me yelling at them, but I felt they needed to wake up.
“I think sometimes these guys try to let the game come to them instead of going out and taking their game with their own hands,” Nunez continued. “Obviously, I don’t know what did it, but they turned something around later in the game.”
Bloomingdale senior Hayden Porter worked six innings on the mound, allowing one earned run on three hits with five strikeouts and five walks. Porter also turned in a fine play on a Jefferson bunt, retiring a runner at third.
The reversal started on the mound with senior Ja’Marques Benton, who shutout Bloomingdale for five innings in the two team’s season-opener (a 6-0 Dragons’ win), combined with a revived Dragons defense.
With no throw coming to Jefferson catcher Nate Brewer, the Bulls’ Izzy Perez slides home for a first-inning run.
After singles by Vinny Dinzeo Jr. and A.J. Cruz wrapped around an Izzy Perez double to get the Bulls (now 10-3) an early two-run lead, the lefty shut the door. Aided by a double play and a hustling catch by shortstop Jaylen Watts, plus a dazzling stop by third baseman Ethan Savinon, Benton and the Dragons retired 15 of the next 16 batters, three by strikeout.
“Before (Nunez’s talk) it was a little shaky,” Ja’Marques Benton explained. “After that, I got calm, cool, and collected and just tried to win the ballgame.”
Dragons shortstop Jaylen Watts (left) backs up second baseman Isiah Fernandez as A.J. Cruz advances on a first-inning passed ball.
Bloomingdale was throwing the leather as well early on, as a great grab by shortstop Saul Aponte turned into a first inning-ending double play, while starting pitcher Hayden Porter’s hustle on a bunt helped shut down a third-inning rally.
Jefferson shortstop Jaylen Watts fires to first for the out that ended the first inning.
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Bloomingdale catcher Vinny Dinzeo displays superb focus as he pulls in a second-inning popup.
Jefferson (9-4) broke through in the top of the fourth when freshman DH Elijah Benton drew a leadoff walk, moved to third on Kaleb Cherry’s one-out single, and scored on Savinon’s sacrifice fly. After Kaiden Johnson walked and advanced on a wild pitch, an infield error on Nate Brewer’s hard grounder plated the pair and put Jefferson ahead to stay.
“We made too many mistakes,” said Bulls head coach Kris Wilken. “Too many walks, some plays that we didn’t make … I think in the middle of the game, we had some chances but we didn’t take advantage of them.”
Dragons base runner Logan Galban (27) gives Bulls relief pitcher Maddox Fuller an earful after scoring in the seventh inning.
The seventh inning saw Jefferson utilize Ja’Marques Benton’s baseball savvy to put up what would be some important insurance runs.
With two outs, Logan Galban roped a liner to left-centerfield for a single to score A.J. Lee (walk) and move Ja’Marques Benton to second. Kaleb Cherry looked to expand the lead, and his job got much easier when Ja’Marques Benton and Galban stole to get into scoring position. Cherry followed with a base hit to centerfield to clear the bases.
“I’d seen that the pitcher was only giving me one look (before throwing to the batter),” Ja’Marques Benton said. “When (Bloomingdale) called time, I had to tell my coach.”
Timing up the pitcher perfectly, Jefferson’s Ja’Marques Benton steals third base in the seventh inning as Bloomingdale’s Izzy Perez retrieves the ball. He eventually scored what would be the game-winning run as part of Kaleb Cherry’s two-run single.
“I said to (third base coach and brother Casey Nunez) if the shortstop clears too early, let’s take the bag,” Spencer Nunez said. “A guy like Ja’Marques, he’s been here for four years so he knows exactly what Casey wants.”
It was good for the Dragons that those runs came across as Bloomingdale tried to muster another streak of two-out offense in the bottom of the seventh.
Bloomingdale’s Vinny Dinzeo gestures after driving a seventh-inning double …
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… while Izzy Perez gets vocal after following Dinzeo with a two-bagger of his own that scored a pair of runs.
After No. 9 batter Aponte got his second single of the game, Dinzeo and Perez stroked back-to-back doubles with Perez’s blast clearing the bases. With the tying run at the plate, Ja’Marques Benton induced a line out to end the game.
With semifinal berths still on the line, both teams will continue their usual approaches as pool play ends on Tuesday at Jefferson. The Bulls will take on East Bay in the 4 pm opener while Spencer Nunez sends Galban to the hill to face Gaither in the nightcap at 7 pm.
Ja’Marques Benton is greeted by batterymate Nate Brewer after earning Jefferson’s second straight Saladino Tourney victory.
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#12 Jefferson 6
#4 Bloomingdale 4
J 000|300|3 – |6|5|1
B 200|000|2 – |4|8|1
W – Benton (3-2); L – Porter
2B – Perez 2, Dinzeo (B). Records – J (9-4); B (10-3).
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Jefferson shortstop Jaylen Watts (6) and first baseman Kaiden Johnson slap hands after a key defensive play from teammate Ethan Savinon ends the third inning.
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Bloomingdale third baseman Izzy Perez looks a fourth-inning foul popup into his mitt.
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Dragons sophomore Ethan Savinon looks to third base coach Casey Nunez for signs during his fourth-inning at bat. Savinon delivered a sacrifice fly to drive in Jefferson’s first run of the game.
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Bulls first baseman Vaughn Osting looks in a fourth-inning pickoff throw as Jefferson’s Kaleb Cherry slides back safely.
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Dragons third baseman Ethan Savinon staggers backwards but retains possession of the ball for the out that ends the sixth inning.
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Sophomore lefty Maddox Fuller came in to pitch the seventh inning for Bloomingdale.
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Jefferson leadoff batter Isiah Fernandez watches as Bulls catcher Vinny Dinzeo pulls in his seventh-inning bunted popup.
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Jefferson’s A.J. Lee runs past catcher Vinny Dinzeo to score the first of three seventh-inning runs.
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Timing up the pitcher perfectly, Jefferson’s DeMarques Benton steals third base in the seventh inning as Bloomingdale’s Izzy Perez retrieves the ball. He eventually scored what would be the game-winning run as part of Kaleb Cherry’s two-run single.
