Tampa Catholic edges Wharton in a "game of inches"

Tampa Catholic edges Wharton in a “game of inches”

TC pinch-runner Audi Perez heads into the plate as Wharton C Chase Anello goes after a ball that got away in the seventh inning.

By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor

PLANT CITY – The opening game of Saladino Saturday from Plant City featured a Top 5 showdown, and top-ranked Tampa Catholic and No. 5-ranked Wharton played perfectly into the baseball adage of a “game of inches.”

Every expectation was met in the early-inning showdown between Wildcats senior Cooper Antalek and Crusaders senior Talan Miranda – as the two righties were stingy in their offerings, while the defense was stellar throughout.

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Fittingly, the game came down to millimeters, not inches as junior Jayden Mera placed a one-out double just out of reach of a diving Wildcats outfielder sparking life into Tampa Catholic in the seventh before sophomore Torey Thomas would give his team the edge in a 3-2 Crusaders victory.

“Torey had a big AB there after Jayden hustles out of the box (on the double),” TC head coach Paul Russo Jr. said. “It is a game of inches and we end up on second base and we score two there to win this game.”

Jayden Mera is excited after his double in the seventh kicked off a Crusaders rally.

After Mera slid safely into second base and was replaced by pinch-runner Audi Perez, senior Christian Serralles kept it going with a single lined to right to put two aboard. From there, Thomas would fall behind 1-2 before flaring a flyball to right for a sac fly – Perez narrowly sliding home as a near-perfect throw from Wharton rightfielder Tomas Rivera just got away from the catcher. Tampa Catholic would aggressively bring Serralles to third on the throw home, drawing a bad throw to the bag and allowing an extra run to score.

Christian Serralles slides home scoring his second run of the game for Tampa Catholic.

That would prove critical as Wharton would not go quietly in the home-seventh. Connor Evans singled and Chase Anello walked forcing a pitching change. Rivera would bring the game within one with an RBI double, but Serralles would clamp down and induce a ground ball to third, where Thomas would fire across the diamond to seal the win for the Crusaders.

“I love getting put in those situations,” Serralles said. “I love dealing with the pressure and I’m glad my team, our coaches, have the confidence to put me in those situations.”

Wharton’s Braden Bodenstein was hit by a pitch to start the game and scored on a Jairius Morris single.

Early on, Miranda took a minute to find his groove and Wharton (8-3) took advantage in the first. A leadoff hit batter gave them a baserunner, followed by a single from Rivera and an RBI line drive to center off the bat of Jairius Morris for the game’s opening salvo.

Wildcats senior Jairius Morris singled in the first run in the opening inning.

Miranda worked 4 2/3 innings, scattered five hits and two walks, with five strikeouts.

Tampa Catholic SP Talan Miranda pitched 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts.

With the run in his back pocket, Antalek would cruise through four no-hit innings (allowing just one walk), but the Crusaders finally got to him in the fifth when Serralles lined a two-out single to right and Thomas tied the game with a hit up the middle.

“We knew this was going to be a tough game coming in,” Thomas said. “So, when I came up in those moments, my teammates and our coaches had me ready. I knew a fastball was coming on a 2-2 count and I got the pitch I wanted and sent it back up the middle.”

Tampa Catholic sophomore Torey Thomas got enough of this ball to send out an RBI sac fly to rightfield to give the Crusaders the lead in the seventh.

Thomas said he was confident the Crusaders offense would find some success eventually, but admitted when it happened it definitely changed things emotionally for his team.

“We knew with the hitters on our team it was bound to happen,” Thomas said. “And when it did, the dugout just exploded.”

“Our team is very strong on passing the torch,” Serralles said. “If somebody gets on, our energy goes through the roof, so when I broke that no-hitter I was pretty confident I was going to score.”

Wharton senior Cooper Antalek carried a no-hitter into the fifth, but ended up with a no-decision allowing one run on two hits and a walk and striking out four.

Antalek (5ip, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K), who transferred to Wharton this year, is no stranger to the Crusaders after making two appearances against TC last year for Bishop McLaughlin. But Russo praised the Wildcats pitcher, who he said has taken the next step forward since he last saw him.

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“Antalek, we saw him twice last year,” Russo said. “One game his defense wasn’t behind him too much, and then (we saw him again) in the region tournament Game 3 and scored three on him in the first before he settled in and threw six full innings.

“I knew what we were expecting, but his whole demeanor has definitely changed. He’s matured on the mound, was locked in the whole time and it was just an outstanding job by him.”

Even the base umpire got on his toes as Crusaders 1B Jayden Mera leapt to make a play on a high chopper.

Defense on both sides was solid. Tampa Catholic (11-1) looked like they could take the lead in the fifth on a hard-hit ball down the line with a runner on the move, but Wharton first baseman Connor Andress made a nice backhand and took it to the bag to end the threat. Andress would add an over-the-shoulder foul pop catch to his day; while Thomas was a highlight reel at the hot corner for the Crusaders.

Wharton senior 1B Chase Andress makes a catch in foul territory.

“Their first baseman made a hell of a play in the fifth where we were running on the play and he did a backhand – if he misses or there is another hop there, we score easy,” Russo said. “That game was pure pitching and defense on both sides. Shout out to Wharton on a great game.”

Tampa Catholic reliever Blake Brown

TC junior Blake Brown took over on the mound in the fifth inning, got a quick inning-ending ground ball, then retired the side in the sixth before running into some trouble in the seventh and giving way to Serralles to close out the win.

On Monday, Tampa Catholic will square off against the site’s other Saturday winner host Plant City (8-4 winners against Strawberry Crest) at 7pm; while Wharton will face off against the Chargers at 4pm.

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#1 Tampa Catholic 3
#5 Wharton 2

T 000|010|2 – |3|5|0
W 100|000|1 – |2|7|1
W – Brown (2-0); L – Evans (0-1); S – Serralles (3)
2B – Mera (T); Rivera (W). Records – T (11-1); W (8-3).

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