Valle sets feverish pace as Dragons down Warriors
Dragons shortstop Cam Mallo leaps to snag a high chopper, before throwing a strike to first base for an out in the second inning.
By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor
TAMPA – Jefferson senior John Valle awoke Tuesday morning with a fever, but by the end of the evening the only thing feverish about the hard-throwing righty was his pace, as he struck out two of the final three Steinbrenner batters he faced in a complete-game, 3-1 victory at home.
“I found out in the fifth inning that he woke up sick today,” Dragons coach Spencer Nunez said. “So that was a surprise to me, but he battled through. But that has been what he has done all season – battled and gotten outs for us.”
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Jefferson senior John Valle delivers a pitch in the final inning of his complete-game win against Steinbrenner. Valle finished with eight strikeouts, allowing one unearned run on five hits.
The Cuban born Valle worked efficiently in the early-going of the game, working in front of a solid Dragons defense through two innings. He ran into some trouble in the third when Noah Fowler sent a ground ball up the middle for a single, followed by a double from JW Stephens (2-for-3), and an unearned run scoring on a passed ball.
Noah Fowler drives a leadoff single up the middle. The Warriors sophomore scored his team’s lone run on a passed ball in the third inning.
Jefferson (12-5) looked poised to take control early, as junior Cameron Mallo singled into left and moved to third on a double from senior Alejandro Aguilar, but Mallo took an aggressive read on a slow groundball to third and was thrown out at the plate as Dominic Sardegna fired a ball home to the catcher Stephens.
Steinbrenner senior catcher JW Stephens catches a throw from third baseman Dominic Sardegna to tag out Cam Mallo trying to score in the first inning.
After falling behind a run, Jefferson made some Warriors’ mistakes hurt. Steinbrenner (9-9) starting pitcher Kelton Meares hit Joseph Fritz on a two-ball count and walked JaMarques Benton before recording two outs. Down to the final strike in the inning, CJ Padilla sent a ball to short that was bobbled allowing Fritz to score and the Dragons built from there, scoring on a throwing error to third by Stephens, and the game’s final run on an Alliuq Troupe single into left.
Junior Alliuq Troupe starts his swing on an RBI single into left field driving in Jefferson’s third run of the game.
“That’s how we play,” Mallo said, shrugging off the early out at home. “I factored in my speed and saw where the defense was playing … seeing a slow roller like that, I wanted to put some pressure on them. It didn’t work there, but the key for us is to keep putting the ball in play like CJ did, and making them have to make every play. That is how we scored our runs.”
Those three runs were all that Valle needed, finishing the game with his eighth strikeouts and holding Steinbrenner to five hits across his 87 pitches.
“I’ve been ready for a game like this all year,” Valle said through assistant coach and translator Ramses Gonzalez. “Usually at the end, that’s where I really get going.”
Mallo had another single in the fourth pushing his average up to .408, but was denied an RBI as centerfielder Austin Liss fired a ball in from centerfield to the plate to end the inning and the Dragons rally. The junior shortstop made his biggest impact on the game with his glove with a pair of nice plays on choppers, and an extra base-saving, leaping snare on a high throw to second base.
“There are not many arms out there like John’s, especially at a public school, so we are very blessed to have him,” Mallo said. “We do as much as we can behind him, but when he is on the bump we know he is going to attack hitters.”
Steinbrenner senior Ethan Humphreys pitched two scoreless innings of relief.
Meares took the loss for the Warriors, but finished with four strikeouts in as many innings, before a pair of shutout innings from senior Ethan Humphreys (one hit, two strikeouts).
Jefferson takes a four-game winning streak into a Saturday morning game at Armwood, while the Warriors look to snap a three-game skid returning to action tonight at Land O’Lakes.
Jefferson 3, Steinbrenner 1
S 001|000|0 – |1|5|2
J 000|300|0 – |3|5|0
W – Valle (2-1); L – Meares (1-2)
2B – Stephens (S); Aguilar (J). Records – S (9-9); J (12-5).
