Vargo burns up the bases as CDS bests Berkeley in extra innings

By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor

CARROLLWOOD – A meeting of aces as competitive and strikeout-filled as expected, was going to take someone making something happen.

That something turned out to be havoc courtesy of the speed and aggression of Carrollwood Day senior Steven Vargo.

Click here for our full gallery of photos from this game.

After striking out in his first-inning leadoff faceoff with Berkeley Prep senior lefty Rivers Kurland, Vargo led off three more innings – each time drawing a walk, each time drawing attention, and each time crossing the plate as CDS won a wild extra-inning tilt over the Buccaneers, 5-4 in the Class 2A-District 9 semifinal.

“We realized the umpire had a small zone, so I had to take advantage of that and make the pitcher come to me,” Vargo said. “(Kurland) is a great pitcher, but I know my speed and if the pitcher is going to give me a walk, I’m going to take it and create havoc on the bases.”

Berkeley Prep senior and FSU signee Rivers Kurland struck out 10 in a six-inning no-decision, allowing one earned run. He has a county-leading 95 strikeouts this year.

For three innings, Kurland and Patriots senior ace Nick Riedel went toe-to-toe, a lone walk issued by the latter being the only blemish in the trio of scoreless frames for the duo. Both pitchers worked fast and affectively, combining for 11 strikeouts over that stretch.

The fourth started with a full-count walk to Vargo, who stole second and then drew an ill-conceived back-pick from the Buccaneers catcher that allowed the speedy senior third and an off-target throw from the outfield that put up the game’s first run.

“The first one, they throw it around, and that’s what we live for,” Vargo said. “That’s a huge part of my game.”

Berkeley Prep’s Josh Herrmann connects on a two-out single in the fourth inning, starting a rally that would briefly give the Buccaneers the lead.

Berkeley Prep (19-8) quickly got down two outs in the home-fourth, before the Bucs offense sparked, loading the bases on singles from Josh Herrmann and Parker Mitzel, and a walk to Joe Troupe before Ben O’Brien gave his team the lead with a two-run, fly-ball single to right.

Bucs junior Ben O’Brien watches his two-run single fly into right field.

Junior Parker Mitzel (single) motors around third and heads to the plate scoring a run in the fourth inning.

Vargo would again reach on four balls in the sixth, move up on a Luke Anderson sac bunt, stole third and scored on a textbook safety squeeze from senior Julian Earle to tie the game.

“That was a baseball play, you have to get to a position to score and we are going to stick with the game of baseball as it presents itself,” CDS head coach Tony Brewington said. “And I’m glad we were able to execute. That was just part of the game and we knew every run was going to matter in this game.”

Execution, of course, comes with practice. And with the Carrollwood Day (15-7) home field hosting a quarterfinal play-in game on Monday, the team was forced to make some adjustments to its regular schedule and had one primary focus.

“Actually, yesterday we didn’t have the field (because of district quarterfinal hosting), so we practiced bunting for two hours,” Earle said. “I’d say it came through pretty clutch.”

The tying run was the first earned run charged to Kurland, who had picked up a 2-1 regular season victory against the Patriots on March 28th, but it chased him from the game after six innings, giving up one hit and three walks, while striking out 10.

Riedel, however, would work through the seventh inning as the game went into extras, where Vargo would step to the plate one more time and work a five-pitch walk off Mitzel, steal second (his fourth bag of the game), go to third on an error and score on another hit from Earle – this time lined up the middle and also driving in pinch-runner Tomas Porta.

“(Steven) is my best friend and when he gets on I’m confident because he’s running, he’s moving, and if I hit the ball he’s going,” Earle said. “It gives so much confidence to our team to have a guy that can get us going like that.

Patriots senior CF Julian Earle lays out for a diving catch in the fifth inning.

Earle, who also made three tremendous plays on defense would score what would prove a pivotal insurance run (after Caleb Nursey extended the inning with a single) when Ashton Brown hit an RBI sacrifice fly into right field.
Riedel would return to the mound in the eighth, but was greeted by JD Haughey’s double to right to lead off the home-half and would leave the game after seven-plus innings, five hits and 10 strikeouts.

“The kid had a 104° temperature yesterday evening and he texted me last night and said he was going to do his best to get it down,” Brewington said of his senior ace. “He came out here today and shoved the game of his life. He was dialed in. He wanted this game, knew we needed it and what he did today is just a small part of what he’ll be capable of doing at the next level.”

Carrollwood Day senior RHP Nick Riedel earned the win, pitching 7+ innings, allowing three runs, on five hits and two walks, and had 10 strikeouts.

Riedel, a Newberry College signee, who allowed one earned run over six innings against the Bucs back on March 28th, said he desperately wanted another shot at the Buccaneers.

“I wanted to pitch against them since the moment the last game ended,” Riedel said. “I asked Coach (Brewington) if we faced them in districts, if I could pitch against them and he said ‘yes.’ I really wanted this today.”

Matt Porta would enter in relief for the Patriots and Herrmann would make things interesting with a line drive, two-run homer to left field, but Porta would end the game and earn the save with a strikeout.

Ashton Brown’s crucial RBI sac fly extended CDS’ eighth-inning lead to three, allowing the Pats to sustain the damage of Josh Herrmann’s two-run homer in the home-half.

Vargo, one of 10 seniors on the Patriots squad, said the team’s success this season – which has included a semifinal berth in the Saladino Tournament and now a district final appearance (at home against top seed Tampa Catholic Thursday at 7 pm) – is built on years of trust earned on the field.

“We’ve had the same group of 10 seniors together for four years, so we have a lot of trust in each other,” Vargo said. “We’ve been in these moments before, we have amazing team chemistry and are always there to back each other up.”

Julian Earle sends a two-run single to center in the eighth inning.

⚾ 2A-District 9 ⚾

#10 Carrollwood Day 5
#9 Berkeley Prep 4 – eight innings

C 000|000|03 – |5|5|0
B 000|000|02 – |4|6|1
W – Riedel (6-3); L – Mitzel (3-1); S – Porta (1)
2B – Haughey (B); HR – Herrmann (B). Records – C (15-7); B (19-8).

⚾