Youthful Spoto applies steady pressure in win at Blake

By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor

TAMPA – Six of Spoto’s starters on Friday were underclassmen, and there were some moments where that youth and inexperience showed, mostly by way of a trio of errors allowing three unearned runs. But to their credit, the young Spartans players applied pressure on its hosts, Blake, scoring runs in each of the first five innings and leaving Downtown Tampa with a 9-3 win.

“I’ve preached that all year, ‘we are playing for the end of the game,’” Spoto head coach Stephan Knight said. “We’re young, out of the (starting) nine, I had four freshman and two sophomores on the field, but they fought the whole game.”

One of those freshmen, starting catcher Antonio Roberts, showed his grit behind the plate handling one of two starting seniors Cullen Cairns. Roberts took some flak from his coaches and the lively crowd when he couldn’t track a foul pop toward the fence, and a dropped third strike allowed an early Yellow Jackets runner. But Roberts stayed poised, erased the stealing runner with a hose to second base, and made a nice catch on an awkward, short foul pop in the second.

“He had some really big saves,” Cairns said. “That one in the first, throwing the runner out at second base, that really saved the inning for us.”

However, it was at the plate where Roberts really supported his battery-mate, doubling and scoring on a trading-places double from another freshman Bryan Berrios. And then doubling again to drive in a run in the fifth, working the count and waiting for the right pitch.

“I had to sit back because it was coming a little slow,” Roberts said. “I think (the count) was 3-1, so I knew he was throwing a fastball. I sat back on it and drove it.”

Knight was pleased overall with his young catcher.

“We’re on him a lot,” he said. “He came through and fought, he’s resilient. He made a few catches, a few blocks, and then came up with two big doubles.”

From the mound, Cairns had a little bit of control issues on his curveball early, but found his groove getting his fastball over for strikes and eventually finding his off-speed stuff. He improved to 2-0 on the season with four innings pitched, allowing one unearned run on two hits, one walk and struck out seven.

“A pretty solid night (from Cairns), he hit his spots and the off-speed was working,” Knight said. “His fastball had some velocity, and coming off an injury last year, we are slowly getting him going.

“He did very well. I’m very proud of him.”

Spoto (2-2) sophomore Jehmiel Pettis got the offense going with an RBI double on a fly ball that just barely stayed in the park, and finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

A two-run error padded the lead in the third, and Peyton Nisy (single) and Mike McQueen (sac fly) salted the win away with driven in runs.

Cairns was pleased with the support.

“It feels good going out there knowing you have the lead and a good run differential,” Cairns said. “It’s tough fighting in 0-0 ball games, so when you have a four-run, five-run lead I find myself relaxing and finding my zone.”

Blake (1-3) starting pitcher Anthony Mathews was tagged with the loss, but showed resilience after the Spartans scored runs, ending the first three innings on strikeouts with runners aboard. He would allow seven runs (four earned) on eight hits and four walks, but finished with four strikeouts.

Joaquiel Barerra halved an early Spartans lead in the second, singling through the left side of the infield to plate a run; while Mathews drove in one with a sac fly, and Zechariah Ayers plated another with a ground ball to second.

A four-game week lies ahead for Spoto, as the Spartans travel to Mulberry on Monday, then host Newsome Tuesday and Sickles on Thursday, before opening up Saladino Bronze Division play on Saturday against Carrollwood Day. Blake travels to Steinbrenner on Tuesday and goes to King on Thursday.

⚾

Spoto 9, Blake 3

Check back on Saturday morning for our recap.

S 112|320|0 – |9|11|3
B 010|020|0 – |3|2|2
W – Cairns (2-0); L – Mathews
2B – Roberts 2, Barrios, Pettis (S). Records – S (2-2); B (1-3).

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