Gaither stays hot with 3-1 win over Plant City
Gaither senior righty Mathew Altman struck out nine, keeping Plant City to one run and the Cowboys gave him early support in Saturday afternoon win.
By Chuck Frye, Senior Staff Writer
TAMPA – It’s hard for a team to lean on the disciplined areas of baseball early in a season.
Quality defense in pressure situations, well-placed pitches where arms are still being stretched out, key two-out hits late in ballgames … every area that can be a coin-flip in the early weeks of the year.
Except for Gaither, who was a perfect 3-for-3 in a satisfying 3-1 victory over visiting Plant City on Saturday afternoon.
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Drew Cothren jams on the brakes rounding second base after a first-inning passed ball. The Plant City senior was stranded there, one of two Raiders runners left in scoring position.
Against the Raiders (now 4-4), the defense did a great job limiting scoring opportunities.
Devon Dukes opened the second inning with a base hit but was quickly erased on a double play saved by an athletic save of a bad throw by first baseman Jacob Butler. Cowboys catcher Jose Gutierrez navigated the anarchy of a missed fifth-inning sacrifice bunt in front of him to throw out pinch-runner Deacon Hay at second. Third baseman Martin Galo ranged far to his left to snag a hot Jake Carbaugh grounder and throw him out to open the seventh.
As Plant City third baseman Keegan Wilkerson waits for the ball, Gaither senior Martin Galo rounds the bag after teammate Ryan Deak’s first-inning double. Galo, who had two hits on the day, later scored on S.J. Branham’s base hit.
Plant City could only get two runners into scoring position on the day, Drew Cothren (single and passed ball) in the first frame and lead-off man Parker Scott (walk and stolen base) in the third. The Raiders lone run came in the third when No. 9 batter Max Cieslo (two hits on the day) lashed a line drive over the rightfield fence with one out in the third.
Plant City junior Max Cieslo rounds third base after his third-inning solo homer, the lone run the Raiders would score on the day. Hitting from the nine-hole, Cieslo finished with a perfect 2-for-2 game at the plate.
“Right now, our guys are pressing a lot and going outside of the strike zone,” explained Raiders head coach Mark Persails. “We’re learning how to be more intelligent at the plate. We need a better feel because we’re making it easier for pitchers, but it’s still early in the season. Once we learn the zone better, we’ll be tough.”
Ryan Deak shouts to his Gaither teammates after his first-inning double.
Cowboys senior S.J. Branham busts out his celebration dance after his first-inning, two-run single against Plant City.
Offensively, Gaither (7-1) only needed its first three batters to take a lead it would not lose, although the contest never got truly comfortable.
Galo, who also had a fifth-inning double, led off the game with a single to right-centerfield. Hot-hitting Ryan Deak lashed a two-bagger down the leftfield line to set the stage for S.J. Branham to plate them both with a base hit through the shortstop hole.
“S.J. is a dangerous hitter, and when he produces it’s great for the team and great for him,” Cowboys head coach Nelson North said. “He’s one of the guys that has hit the ball hard, but right at the defense. He’s kept working hard and got the results (Saturday).”
Plant City senior and Mississippi State commit Jake Carbaugh shook off a tough start to battle the six-inning distance against Gaither, throwing shutout ball over the middle four innings.
From there, Plant City starter and Mississippi State commit Jake Carbaugh found his groove, scattering three hits and two other base runners through the next five innings, while snuffing out a bases-loaded, one-out threat in the second. He also displayed deft defense by snagging a hot line drive just over his shoulder in the third.
“Jake fights hard and is a great teammate,” Persails said. “He didn’t quite have his best stuff but he battles and keeps us in games.”
Gaither batterymates Mathew Altman (10, left) and Jose Gutierrez are all smiles after a strikeout retired Plant City in the third inning.
His counterpart, senior Florida A&M commit Mathew Altman, also competed hard despite being under the weather. Getting batters focused on letter-high heat before fooling them with low curves and change-ups, Altman scattered five hits and a pair of walks, while striking out nine before being lifted after 89 pitches with one out in the seventh.
“When I was in the bullpen before the game, I felt good with all of my pitches,” Altman said. “I felt like I could locate my pitches well, I went out and did it. I’m going to control what I can control.”
“Matt has a fiery focus inside, and when he had to make a pitch, he made it,” North said. “He’s cool on the outside, but a real competitor and that makes us play better behind him. With him on the mound, we have a better chance to win.”
With first baseman Jacob Butler ready to help, Gaither reliever Adam Smolka deals in the seventh inning. The senior induced a pair of groundouts to earn the save for the Cowboys.
Adam Smolka retired the final two Plant City batters with ground balls to pick up his third save.
And after the quality defense and clutch pitching, Gutierrez delivered under pressure at the plate, finding the right-centerfield gap for a sixth-inning, two-out double that delivered Ivan Vasquez (single).
Raiders rightfielder Tyler Black was able to track down Jose Gutierrez’s challenging fourth-inning line drive.
The junior, who also added a second-inning hit-by-pitch, has been a pleasant surprise hitting from the eight-hole as he is 9-for-17 with a homer and six RBI on the young season.
“I was seeing the ball well and I’ve been working hard to catch up to fastballs,” said Gutierrez, who transferred in from Brooks DeBartolo this year. “I was looking fastball, one that I could drive to a gap, got one up and took it to right-center.”
“Robinson, Steinbrenner, and (Saturday), our last three games have been our best games so far,” concluded North. “We’re heading in the right direction.”
Plant City pitcher Jake Carbaugh ducks out of the way so third baseman Keegan Wilkerson has a clear shot to retire Jacob Butler at first and end the fifth inning scoreless.
Pasco Hernando College commit Noah Lockler will take the mound for the Cowboys on Tuesday at Wiregrass Ranch; while Plant City will start junior Keegan Wilkerson on Tuesday at Lennard, Hunter Carbaugh at home versus East Bay on Thursday, and Jake Carbaugh in a key battle against visiting Plant on Friday.
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#7 Gaither 3
Plant City 1
P 001|000|0 – |1|5|0
G 200|001|x – |3|8|0
W – Altman (4-0); L – J. Carbaugh (0-2); S – Smolka (3)
2B – Deak, Galo, Gutierrez (G); HR – Cieslo (P). Records – P (4-4); G (6-1).
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Lunging to track down an errant throw, Gaither first baseman Jacob Butler reaches to tag out Plant City’s Jake Carbaugh and complete a second-inning double play.
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It didn’t matter that Cowboys rightfielder S.J. Branham lost the ball in the noontime sky as Max Cieslo’s third-inning blast landed well over the fence for a solo homer.
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Joined by teammate Devin Dukes (6), Max Cieslo (20) jumps for joy after his third-inning homer.
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As Plant City senior Parker Scott slides in for a third-inning stolen base, Gaither shortstop Ryan Deak (2) dives to keep the throw from heading to the outfield while second baseman Yenier Chirinos (left) and rightfielder S.J. Branham back the play up.
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One pitch, one out as Gaither shortstop Ryan Deak handled Paul Overstreet’s fifth-inning grounder.
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Avoiding Raider batter Parker Scott after his failed bunt, Gaither catcher Jose Gutierrez rifled the ball to second for a key fifth-inning caught stealing.
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Raiders centerfielder Drew Cothren came close to getting Jose Gutierrez’s sixth-inning line drive …
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… But the clutch double scored Ivan Vasquez, who had a lead-off single, with an important insurance run.
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Cowboys second baseman Yenier Chirinos did the honors, turning consecutive Plant City grounders into outs to wrap up a 3-1 victory Saturday.
