Roberts, Parral lead Hillsborough to win at TBT
Hillsborough senior Curtis Roberts dives home scoring after a pickoff attempt at third base. Roberts was 3-for-4 with two RBI and three stolen bases.
By Chuck Frye, Senior Staff Writer
TAMPA – With a struggle of a season slowly coming to a close, four years after his team’s last plus-.500 season, Bryan Burgess has a simple philosophy to guide the way.
“People ask me all the time how this season is going,” Hillsborough’s head coach said. “I said I’ll know more next year if we’ve learned from it. If we come out next year and do the same things that we’re doing, then it wasn’t beneficial. If we come back bigger, better, stronger, and smarter, clean up some of the errors, then going through this year won’t be as bad.”
Titans’ shortstop Chris Rojo Jr. fires to first base for the final out of the first inning.
Tuesday night’s clash with host Tampa Bay Tech was an embodiment of Burgess’ guiding light, a less than perfect start that his Terriers tightened up, improved, and turned into a 6-3 victory.
Adriano Parral was superb in relief for the Terriers as the senior struck out eight straight batters in three hitless innings of work to earn the save.
After a pair of unearned runs in the second inning allowed the Titans (now 2-17) to draw even with Hillsborough (5-15), the visitors cleaned up its act defensively, made TBT errors hurt, then rode reliever Adriano Parral’s relentless pounding of the strike zone to victory.
“We’ve reached that point in the season where we’ve got to take every W we can get,” Burgess said. “That’s the team we’ve become.”
Hillsborough pitcher Ozzy Font is quick off the mound, turning Mekhi Johnson’s bunt try into a first-inning out.
Whether by error (like how Daniel Pena scored in the first inning or Matthew Tolzman advanced to third base and scored in the third inning), crafty base running (when Curtis Roberts turned being picked off third in the opening frame into a run scored) or by timely hit (Roberts’ third safety of the game that scored crucial insurance runs in courtesy runner Angel Smith and Pena in the sixth inning), the Terriers did enough offensively to lock up its 12th straight victory over the Titans.
Junior Emmanuel Lopez trots across the plate for a second-inning run that drew the Titans even with Hillsborough.
Then, just to be sure, the senior reliever Parral took over for starter Ozzy Font in the fifth inning and took charge. After hitting Luke Jones – the first batter he faced – Parral mowed down the next eight by way of the K, three on called third strikes. When first baseman Nathan Vig (two hits including a double) tracked down a TBT foul popup, Parral got his hard-earned save.
“We had Pena lined up for the seventh but Adriano was cruising,” Burgess said. “It was kind of the opposite of what we saw in the first few innings (when Font survived two hits, four walks, and two hit batters).”
After grabbing a perfect throw from rightfielder John Randall IV, catcher James Williams applies the tag to Evan Isaac to complete a fourth-inning double play.
With a third of Hillsborough’s nine hits, Roberts drew praise from Burgess post-game.
“If Curtis was four inches taller, we’d be talking to a lot of (colleges),” Burgess said of the senior centerfielder. “He does whatever it takes to get us going. He gives us everything he’s got, he’s one of our team’s leaders, and I wish I had him for three or four more years.”
Terriers’ senior Curtis Roberts gets a fist bump from first base coach Danny Close after picking up his second of three singles.
Despite the porous defense, the Titans made some stellar plays to stay competitive. Sophomore rightfielder John Randall IV turned a fourth-inning snag of a line drive into a double play by gunning down a Terriers runner at the plate. Classmate and catcher James Williams threw out runners at second and third attempting to steal. Starting pitcher Joseph Hartman fielded his position solidly, starting a second-inning double play of his own while registering five assists and a putout in his 5 2/3 innings on the hill.
Titans starter Joseph Hartman pitched well in his 5 2/3-inning stint but was the victim of porous defense.
“We had our opportunities but we couldn’t make the routine outs and couldn’t manufacture any more runs,” Tampa Bay Tech head coach Tony Gonzalez said. “I feel like Joe pitched a wonderful game and Michael (Gibson) came in (to relieve) and did his job.
“I lost my mother on Feb. 16, and I believe the players are dedicating themselves and giving me 110-percent. I’m big about staying positive and bringing my energy, dealing with the ups and downs, taking the battle scars and taking the lumps and keep fighting.”
Tampa Bay Tech catcher James Williams slaps the tag on pinch runner Taurence Harmon for a sixth-inning out, the second that the Titans recorded at the plate.
With its Senior Night celebration coming on Friday against Blake, Burgess has his pitching already set up.
“Every senior but Ozzy (due to pitch count) will throw on Friday,” he said.
TBT returns to action on Thursday when it travels to Durant.
Hillsborough first baseman Nathan Vig fought to grab this infield popup that ended his squad’s 6-3 victory over Tampa Bay Tech.
⚾
Hillsborough 6
Tampa Bay Tech 3
H 301|002|0 – |6|11|1
T 030|000|0 – |3|2|5
W – Font (2-5); L – Joseph; S – Parral (1)
2B – Vig (H). Records – H (5-15); T (2-17).
