Plant punches back as Panthers top Sickles for Saladino title

By Jarrett Guthrie
Editor

DOVER – From the first pitch that freshman Cash Strayer burned through the middle for a base hit, to the leaping snag of a would-be single gloved by second baseman Tanner Swank – the Plant Panthers never blinked in Wednesday’s Gold Division championship of the 41st edition of the Tony & Bertha Saladino Baseball Tournament.

After dropping a 10-run loss to the Gryphons just one week ago, the young Strayer said it was a letdown the team allowed to happen in the moment, but one they weren’t going to accept a second time. Plant battled back from a four-run and a two-run deficit, finally taking control with a big sixth inning and claimed the Saladino crown in a 7-6 thriller at Strawberry Crest High.

“We played Sickles last week and they punched us first and we just sat down and didn’t come back,” Strayer said. “Coming out here today, we knew they had hitters over there that could swing it, but we also knew what we had to do – if they punch, we punch back harder and keep on fighting.”

Sickles (9-1), which has just two seniors who see regular action, have played impressive baseball, but finally youth got the best of them as four Gryphon errors allowed all seven runs to score unearned.

Plant (8-3) however, was anything but lucky in the win making each miscue Sickles made, hurt with quality at-bats throughout.

The Saladino championship – the sixth all-time and a first for the Panthers since winning in 2014 – meant a great deal for older brother Conley Strayer as well.

“My dad played at Plant and won a state championship,” Conley said. “It feels great to win a tournament title here and hopefully we can keep going and bring another (championship) to Plant High School.”

Sickles came up a run short on Wednesday, but not for lack of effort from junior Caden McDonald who, quite literally willed his team to the championship, behind a four-game effort where he put up a ridiculous offensive outpouring going 7-for-12, with nine RBI, six runs scored – including a 3-for-3 showing in the final where he homered twice and doubled in a pair of runs. All this after leading the Gryphons to a shutout win against Jesuit in the semifinals, pitching 6 1/3 innings of shutout baseball and driving in the game’s only run. Despite the loss, McDonald earned the Saladino MVP honors marking the fifth time in Tournament history the honors went to a player from outside the winning team. McDonald’s 23 RBI currently lead the state and are fifth in the country – while being at least 10 at-bats behind the next player on the list according to MaxPreps.

“Caden has been fantastic – everything you could ever ask for from a player on the mound and at the plate,” Sickles coach Eric Luksis said. “There has not been a better player in a four-game stretch that I have ever seen in high school baseball. He is right up there at the top of the charts in the state and in the country.”

Conley Strayer a legacy Panther, whose father, Ryan, won a state title at Plant in 1988 had a remarkable tournament as well, going 7-for-17, with three doubles, five RBI, and scored six runs – including a double and a run in Wednesday’s win.

After the win, Conley who is in his fourth varsity season at Plant, talked about being able to share this moment with younger brother, Cash.

“We’ve hit together our whole lives,” he said. “Cash was in a lot of high-pressure situations and I know what it is like to be in those spots, he did a great job relaxing and coming through for us tonight.”

The younger Strayer said he was thankful to his coach allowing him to share the moment with his brother.

“I’m just thankful that (Coach Braun) gave me the opportunity,” Cash said. “I felt like I could do it, but him having that trust in me means so much”

McDonald’s first inning blast put the Gryphons offense into gear and Sickles added three more in the third as Connor Vance hit an RBI sac fly, before junior Hayden Yost and McDonald went back-to-back with homers to push their team out ahead.

Conley Strayer doubled to open the fourth, moved around on a Thomas Bolton (2-for-3, two runs) single and scored on an error on a ground ball off the bat of starting pitcher Robert Satin. Satin returned to the dugout and stayed cemented on the opening walkway as Plant clawed back in the inning, and burst out of the dugout with a handful of teammates each time a Panthers runner stepped on the plate as they tied the game at four apiece.

With two men aboard Plant turned to another freshman, pitcher Dominic Woodward in a tough situation and McDonald greeted him with a two-run double again giving Sickles a lead, but from that point on the young righty churned through hitters, finishing the game going 2 2/3 innings and not allowing another base runner.

“It’s nice to be given a chance and to know that this team and our coaches trust me,” Woodward said. “I think using the leadership of our older guys has let us build on top of what they already have built. They make us better every game.”

A double-play pushed one run across for Plant in sixth and an error tied it up, before Cash Strayer delivered his second hit of the game to drive in Swank for what would prove the deciding run.

Plant finished the Saladino with 33 runs scored in four games, allowing just three runs prior to the Gryphons six-run showing in the final.

Tanner Gilbert was 2-for-3 for Plant, with a double and RBI; while Nico Berg went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored for the Gryphons.

Plant 7
(3) Sickles 6

P 000|403|0 – |7|9|1
S 103|020|0 – |6|6|4
W – Woodward (1-0); L – Vigil
2B – Gilbert, Con. Strayer (P); Berg, McDonald (S); HR – McDonald 2, Yost (S). Records – P (8-3); S (9-0).