Crest fends off Land O’ Lakes in region opener
Strawberry Crest junior Alex Philpott finished out the Chargers win on the mound earning his fourth save (813Preps file photo).
By Brandon Wright
Staff Writer
DOVER – Superstitions are as intertwined in baseball as the seams that hold it together. From pre-game meals to pre-game rituals, sticking with what’s working is a must.
Take Alex Philpott’s case Tuesday night.
Philpott broke the red laces on his left cleat prior to first pitch Tuesday and decided to put on a different shoe. A white one. Which stood in stark contrast to his red right cleat.
“I just threw it on and said let’s try it out,” he said.
Mismatched or not, Philpott earned the save and Ethan Pues delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the fifth as Strawberry Crest hung on to beat visiting Land O’Lakes 4-3 in the opening round of the Class 6A region playoffs.
“As I go back and look at the scores and opponents in the past years we’ve been in the postseason, they are all tight,” Crest coach Eric Beattie said. “It doesn’t matter who’s better on paper or who has who, they are all tight.”
Strawberry Crest senior Ethan Pues was 2-for-3 and singled in the deciding run for the Chargers (813Preps file photo).
Tied at three in the fifth, Pues slashed a two-out single to right field. Arjun Nimmala, who singled and stole second to set up the scoring opportunity, raced home just under the tag to put Crest up 4-3.
“We got the big hits when we needed them,” Philpott, who finished 1-for-3 with an RBI, said.
Zach Redner started and was cruising until the fourth when the Gators plated three on a pair of RBI singles and a throwing error. Luke Richardson came on in relief to get the final two out of the frame before giving way to Philpott in the sixth.
“I’m really fortunate to have three guys that I believe in,” Beattie said. “I’m just glad that I’m in a position where I have three good options all the time.”
Strawberry Crest (19-8) never trailed and jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second on Damien Bennett’s sac fly. The Chargers then extended it to 2-0 one inning later when courtesy runner Lance Highsmith came around on an error. Philpott drove home Ray Allen Vasquez in the third to make it 3-0 Crest before the Gators (19-7) scored all of their runs in the fourth.
“We came out a little flat,” Philpott said. “We know we can play better baseball than we did and we have to get back to that.”
Tuesday’s win was far from the Charger’s cleanest. Strawberry Crest had two errors and another that could have gone either way in the scorebook. Crest also had three runners gunned down on the basepaths.
“The game speeds up on you, especially in the postseason,” Beattie said. “There were some times that guys had their heads in the right spot, they were trying to do the right thing and be aggressive, and they ended up making the wrong decision.”
Strawberry Crest next faces Wharton on the road in the region semifinals Friday. Beattie was undecided on his starter against the Wildcats but Philpott – and some color combination of his cleats – will be ready.
Superstitions, even newfound ones, have a way of latching on quick.
“I think I have to wear two different ones now that we won doing it,” Philpott said. “Gotta keep it going.”
⚾ Class 6A-Region 2 Qtr ⚾
Strawberry Crest 4
Land O’Lakes 3
LOL 000|300|0 – |3|5|2
SC 011|110|0 – |4|7|2
W – Richardson (5-2); L – Lee (2-1); S – Philpott (4)
2B – Vickers (SC). Records – LOL (19-7); SC (19-8).
