Wright delivers in relief as Raiders top Wolves
Senior Zane Wright celebrates his game-ending strikeout after delivering 2 1/3 innings of relief as Plant City wins on the road at Newsome to close out Week 1.
By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor
Click here to view our full photo gallery from this game.
FISHHAWK – Entering the season Plant City’s Zane Wright knew he’d have to wear a lot of hats … and helmets, masks, and gloves for the Raiders this season, serving as the utility man wherever his team would need him.
And making yourself versatile is a good way to see playing time, but making yourself versatile AND affective – that’s the way to make yourself invaluable. Wright’s value on Friday night at Newsome, began at the plate where he got the Raiders on the board in the first inning with an RBI ground ball. But he capped the night after moving to the mound in a tight jam and delivering 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief – punctuated with a strikeout to end the game, stranding the tying run at third in a 6-5 Plant City victory.
Much like a player welcoming of the role of helping however he can, Wright was quick to shy away from too much praise for the win.
“I really had to bunker down and focus in on what I had to do to get the job done,” he said. “But most of all, this was just a great team win today.”
Zane Wright delivers a pitch.
The game-closing finish, which earned Wright his first win of the year, stood out for Plant City’s head coach Mike Fryrear.
“From his freshman to senior year it makes a coach proud to see how far he has come,” Fryrear said. “Tonight, Zane came in like a bulldog and that is exactly what we needed.”
Plant City (2-0) put up five runs in the first two innings, including a bases-clearing double from junior Colin Pelicer, who scored the first run of the game reaching on a single, while also serving as the Raiders catcher.
Raiders junior Colin Pelicer slides in under a tag in the first inning. Pelicer was 2-for-3, and also put up a bases-clearing double in the win.
Newsome (1-1) scratched a run back in the home-first as singles from Evan Dempsey and Tony Marrero, and successive walks drawn by Tony Marrero and Luke Peterson (RBI) cut the Raiders lead in half. The Wolves continued to claw back via an RBI sac fly from Drew Mega in the third, before erasing PC’s lead entirely with a three-run fifth as Peterson (single) and Braden Moon (double) put runners in scoring position, and runs scored on a balk, an Anthony DeVito RBI double and a run-scoring single from Nick Balasco.
Newsome sophomore Anthony DeVito watches his RBI double sail into left field in the fifth.
The runs in the fifth ended an impressive streak for Plant City senior Tanner Rollyson, who went 26 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run (dating back to his 2022 season, where the lefty posted a 0.00 ERA).
With the game tied and a runner on first, the Raiders turned to Wright, who got a fly ball to end the Wolves rally.
For Newsome, aside from the fifth inning, things didn’t go particularly smoothly. Five Wolves’ errors blighted the night, yielding three unearned runs. And with things knotted in the sixth, the Raiders started fast when pinch-hit single from Wellington Hehn, who moved to second on a throwing error, and third on a single from Wyatt Fordham.
With runners on the corners Ray Cowen skied a ball into right field, and Hehn retreated, then headed home.
Fryrear, in the third base coaching box, ripped off his helmet in frustration as Hehn rushed home.
Asked after the game about the reaction, Fryrear smiled wryly and said: “I don’t know what you are talking about?”
After a chuckle, he added: “As a head coach you never want to show that kind of emotion, you need to keep it even-keel … I think If the umpire would have looked at me one time, he was probably gonna call him out (for leaving early).”
But fortunately for the Raiders, that look never came as both umpires were focused on the fly ball catch and after an appeal by Wolves’ coach Dick Rohrberg, Hehn was called safe after a throw to the bag at third.
For Fryrear, he admitted to some concern as the Wolves battled back, especially after missing the playoffs last season despite a 17-7 record, and having a tough go during fall scrimmages. But he was very pleased with the poise his team had to get back and pull out the win.
“We got our tail kicked in the fall,” Fryrear said. “But this is a strong and focused group – not to knock any of our former teams, but this team has practiced way harder than any I’ve ever had … to come through in a game like that, just shows the fight in this group.”
Wright agreed, adding that the struggle in the fall scrimmage season prepared the team to overcome in-game adversity.
“Coming off of the fall was a bit rough and we were looking to bounce back off of that,” Wright said. “These first two games have well-represented that, making us find a way to pull through in close games. We have that strength in us. We aren’t going to let up, and I was really proud of us tonight.”
Four Wolves pitchers recorded a total of 12 strikeouts in the game, with starter Wade Walton and junior Brodie Kyser each contributing four apiece, but the defensive miscues mounted up for Newsome and spoiled the home opener.
Wolves junior Brodie Kyser struck out four in 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for Newsome.
Plant City starting pitcher and FSU commit, junior Chase Mobley, struggled a bit in his first start, walking four and allowing the first-inning earned run, but did strike out three.
The Wolves will travel the Fishhawk-Boyette Boulevard trail for a meeting with neighbor Riverview, while the Raiders travel to fellow 2-0 opponent Lennard, both games are Tuesday.
⚾⚾⚾⚾
#6 Plant City 6, #12 Newsome 5
PC 230|001|0 – |6|6|1
N 101|030|0 – |5|7|5
W – Wright (1-0); L – Spitzer (0-1)
2B – Pelicer, Mobley, Palestrini (PC); DeVito, Moon (N). Records – PC (2-0); N (1-1).
