Four-Alarm Fire: TC’s blazing starting pitching
Senior Danny Lazaro is welcomed to the dugout during a strong outing against Jesuit earlier this season.
By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor
TAMPA – After every mid-March Saladino Tournament inevitably comes the rumbles and grumbles of the “Saladino Slump.” It could hit a number of teams in a year, but for a few teams the grind of the tournament – whether successful or not – can spark a team to success.
Bloomingdale’s 2021 season springs to mind, where the Bulls went 1-3 in the tournament before going 15-2 the rest of the year on the way to the program’s first state title.
The front-runner for that kind of magic from this year’s tournament has to be the 10-4 Tampa Catholic Crusaders, now on a five-game tear, after a 2-2 run in the event.
The tournament’s schedule of a guaranteed four-game slate in five days forces coaches to plan a strategy on the mound, and often necessitates a reliever stepping into a starters role in a meaningful game.
“When Saladino rolls around and you need that fourth starter, you have to go with who (which reliever) earns it,” second-year Crusaders coach Paul Russo Jr. said.
Second-year head coach Paul Russo Jr. has the Crusaders rolling at 10-4 behind a dominant pitching staff.
That person for TC, was junior Roman Corinti, who was the victim of two unearned runs, and took a 2-1 loss to Plant. But Corinti held the Panthers to just five hits in as many innings of work.
After that start, a whole new kind of “problem” arose for Russo.
“Roman has been a big part of the staff the whole year, starting the year in a relief role,” Russo said. “But after that game, now we’ve got four guys who can really start for us, and I’ve got to figure that out.”
If Russo and his coaching staff haven’t “figured it out” yet, it’s pretty hard to tell, as TC has held its next five opponents to a total of four runs (three of those from Bloomingdale), and pitched three-straight shutouts.
A little controlled chaos seems to be working for the Crusaders, and the team’s cadre of starters seem to be loving the challenge.
“As a staff, we know what everyone is built for,” junior Alex Sotiropolous said. “After every (outing) we are working on arm-care, making sure you’re ready for your next game. Even though we know what we are going to do as a team, come next week we don’t know exactly when we are going to go. I think that has made us all want to stay ready, always be prepared to go out there and throw strikes.”
As a staff, the nine players who have stood atop the mound for the Crusaders this season have posted a combined 1.28 ERA across 95 innings.
Corinti has shown his value as a starter and reliever, drawing a tough assignment in a loss to Plant, but dominating in his next start to the tune of 11 strikeouts in a five-inning win against Tampa Prep, and maintains a 0.00 ERA. After that win last Thursday, where Corinti recorded his first nine outs via strikeouts, he said getting ahead on batters has led to his success through his first seven appearances.
“Staying efficient, get ahead early, stay on them and limit my walks,” he said. “That is what I work on, getting out of innings quickly and let my guys get in there and hit.”
Roman Corinti is 2-1 with a 0.00 ERA this year.
Lefty Danny Lazaro, and his sky-high (🙄) 2.83 ERA, has been given the ball in three of the biggest challenges for his team, starting against then-No. 1 nationally ranked Calvary Christian, current-No. 2 Jesuit, and against Saladino semifinalist Alonso. Lazaro was hurt by errors against Jesuit, where his three runs surrendered were all unearned. He had an impressive showing against Bloomingdale, holding the Bulls to just two hits across six shutout innings, with six strikeouts.
Senior Danny Lazaro is 1-2 with a 2.83 ERA, drawing the toughest of the Crusaders assignments thus far.
Fellow senior Bransen Angel is an experienced varsity pitcher, who made 12 appearances last season, averaging a little over a strikeout per inning.
Last season’s pitching usage was something Russo admitted he wanted to work on from his first season as head coach.
“What I did last year was, well, we got into a little bit of a rut, and I threw the starters too much,” Russo said. “First year, trying to figure some stuff out. Now, in a three-game week, I can give one of them a bit of a break or have them come on in relief. Spread them out so they can be as good at the end of the year, as they have been at the beginning of the year.”
Lazaro said with that new strategy, there is a noticeable change among the pitching staff this season.
“Our pitching has been unbelievable this year compared to last season,” Lazaro said. “Our group has been working a lot harder – with our running, recovery, long tossing – I’m just really happy what we’ve accomplished.”
Angel, who posted a 4.41 ERA as a junior, has a 3-0 record this year with a 0.45 ERA through 15-plus innings, with 20 strikeouts and wins against Lennard and Brooks DeBartolo this month.
Senior righty Bransen Angel is 3-0 with a 0.45 ERA.
His dozen appearances last season, certainly seems to have Angel comfortable with whatever situation he’s called into.
“When I’m told I’m getting the start, I’ll get my mindset ready for that,” Angel said. “When I’m not starting, I’m ready at all times to come out in relief. The preparation is obviously a little different, but there’s not much of a different mindset – that is always to just come out and dominate whoever we are facing.”
Then there is Sotiropoulos, who has a team-best 4-0 record, with a 1.20 ERA and has two-straight shutout starts against Seffner Christian and Tampa Prep during this current five-game run. The latter of which, Monday’s 14-0 win against the Terrapins, saw Sotiropoulos go five no-hit innings, walking four and striking out eight. Russo said his improvements since last season have been the most impressive of the group, and feels his pitcher has an even bigger jump yet to come.
“He has been outstanding, gaining some velocity over the off-season, and all of his pitches have been working,” Russo said. “He’s been very dominant, and I still don’t think we’ve seen his best stuff.”
Junior righty Alex Sotiropoulos is 4-0 for the Crusaders, after five no-hit innings at Tampa Prep on Monday.
And though Russo may have a “problem” in picking his starter, the four pitchers seem happy with however they are used in this current rotation.
“We all compete with each other,” Corinti said, “but we also pick each other up. If one guy isn’t on one day, we know the pen behind him is going to be on. We definitely keep it fun, but we’re brothers.”
“The team is a whole,” Angel said, “one big, happy family.”
One big, happy, lights-out family.
