Price homer keys Lancers late win in Saladino Opener

As a frustrated Coby Moersching looks on, Cambridge Christian head coach John DiBenedetto (right) showers praise on Braiden Price after the junior’s three-run home run.

By Chuck Frye, Senior Staff Writer

TAMPA – “Oh, my goodness, that was a lot of fun!”

Cambridge Christian head coach John DiBenedetto was beaming when he said that after an exciting Saladino Tourney-opening 6-4 victory over Steinbrenner Saturday at Sickles High, but it probably wouldn’t have been the first thing out of his mouth if the conversation was 20 minutes earlier.

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Pounding the strike zone from his first pitch, Steinbrenner junior starter Evan Juan worked four effective innings, scattering a run and four hits while striking out five.

At that point, Steinbrenner rode strong offense from DH Chase Petker (3-for-3 with a double) and third-inning opportunism to a 4-1 lead with three outs to go. But the heart of the Lancers lineup came through in the clutch, none bigger than Braiden Price.

With a run shaved off the lead thanks to Blake Hafner’s RBI single, Price strode to the plate looking to keep the line moving.

“I just wanted to fight and get the job done,” the junior rightfielder said. “Help the team win the game, put a barrel on the baseball.”

Warriors leftfielder Kiki Mejias looks in this first-inning fly ball.

He did that and then some, smashing a blast over the leftfield fence to bring home Jayden Jardine (walk), Hafner, and himself to give Cambridge a shocking 5-4 lead.

“We missed a few pitches that we needed to hit but we stayed and fought really hard through our at-bats,” Price said. “We got a good result out of it.”

Lancers sophomore starter Trigg Listerman was touched up for three runs, only one earned, on four hits in his three innings of work.

“That was like his signature moment right there,” DiBenedetto said. “He’s one of the guys you want up in a big spot and he got a great pitch to hit.”

The Lancers (now 10-3-1) made the lead a little more comfortable when Ethan Santos’ sacrifice fly brought home Alex Quintero (single, third on a throwing error).

“The three-run homer was just a mistake pitch, but the walk probably hurt the worst,” mused Warriors head coach Chenzo Scanio.

Is this the ultimate example of the tie going to the runner? Could be as Steinbrenner freshman pinch runner Julian Francis (23) gets his foot on second base right when second baseman Ethan Santos applies the tag on this bang-bang second-inning steal.

With a disciplined approach at the plate that extended at-bats, Steinbrenner broke through in the third.

Junior Coby Moesching drove a double down the leftfield line for his second hit of the day to score No. 9 batter Evan Eagle (lead-off walk), then scored himself on a misplayed sac bunt. Petker capped the inning with a textbook RBI line single to center.

“He struggled a little bit early on, but in the last week or so, he’s starting to see the ball really well,” Scanio said of Petker. “He was poised to have a day like this.”

With rightfielder Will Hoblitzell closing in support, Steinbrenner second baseman Evan Eagle covers a lot of ground to track down Jayden Jardine’s shallow third-inning fly ball.

The Warriors (now a deceiving 3-9 this year) tacked on what seemed to be a key insurance tally in the fourth when lead-off man Ty Ciccarello delivered a clutch two-out single that plated shortstop Beaux Livingston, who walked.

But CCS reliever Nathan Hazard rebounded from the fourth, allowing only one additional hit in his game-steadying three-inning stint.

“Nate is just coming off of an injury and this was his first outing this spring,” DiBenedetto said. “He was phenomenal.”

Warrior junior Coby Moesching is energized after his third-inning RBI double.

Sophomore closer Blake Hafner battled through a two-out walk to lock down the victory and add a 10th career save to his school record total.

“Blake’s been our closer for three years, since 8th grade,” DiBenedetto said. “He lives for these moments, locates his pitches extremely well and is not intimidated by anybody.

“It’s a testament to the team that they don’t quit. Even if they’re down by three runs, they find a way to get the job done. It wasn’t pretty by any stretch, but it’s important to win Game 1 in this tournament.”

A jacked-up Alex Quintero looks to his Cambridge Christian teammates after his fourth-inning double.

“We’ve played almost every team in 813 Preps’ Top 10,” Scanio said. “We’ve already played Sickles twice, Gaither twice, Jefferson … Hopefully, it benefits us, but we’ve had a chance to win every game we’ve played. This is one of the most resilient groups of guys that I’ve been around. There hasn’t been a whole lot of panic. Now we have to see how we react to this one.”

The turnaround will be short as Saladino play resumes Monday at Sickles with Cambridge Christian sending Price to the hill for the 4pm opener against Alonso; while Steinbrenner battles the host Gryphons at 7pm.

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#9 Cambridge Christian 6
Steinbrenner 4

C 100|000|5 – |6|9|1
S 003|100|0 – |4|6|2
W – Hazard (1-0); L – Moesching; S – Hafner (3)
2B – Quintero 2 (C); Moesching, Petker (S); HR – Price (C). Records – C (10-3-1); S (3-9).

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Steinbrenner DH Chase Petker motions to his teammates after delivering a run-scoring single in the third inning. Petker finished the game with a perfect 3-for-3 effort including a double.

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Avoiding a collision with shortstop Beaux Livingston (24), Steinbrenner centerfielder Gavin Schultz hustled to corral a fourth-inning popup.

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Seeing his first mound duty of the season, Lancers sophomore Nathan Hazard excelled over three innings, giving up two hits and a run while fanning four.

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It takes a village … Host Sickles looks to replace third base after the fifth-inning slide of Cambridge Christian’s Robert Moore (right, 1) dislodges the bag.

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After getting an earful from Steinbrenner head coach Chenzo Scanio, the home plate umpire says and shows that the Warrior batter did offer at the fifth-inning pitch.

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Warriors DH Chase Petker celebrates his fifth-inning double.

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Fighting through periodic showers, Steinbrenner reliever Jordan Anstett didn’t allow a run in 1 2/3 inning of middle relief.

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Looking to close out the game for Steinbrenner, instead closer Coby Moesching saw Cambridge Christian’s bats come alive in a comeback victory.

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Busting around third base, Lancer sophomore Ian Jansen sprints home on Blake Hafner’s seventh-inning single.