Guise homers twice as Sickles slams Gaither
Sickles senior Cameron Guise is greeted at the plate after his second-inning Grand Slam – the first of two homers he had in that inning, pacing the Gryphons with eight RBI in a decisive Saladino Tournament opening day win.
By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor
RUSKIN – Cameron Guise retired the Gaither side in order in the top of the first of Saturday’s Saladino Tournament Gold Division opener at Lennard, and put Sickles’ offense in gear with a first-inning RBI single.
But he’d barely revved the Gryphons’ engine at the point as the senior would gather speed throughout the early innings, and leave the Cowboys as roadkill by the time he belted a second-inning grand slam, and added three-run shot to his two-homer before the innings’ end. His eight-RBI day led Sickles to a 18-2, four-inning win over the Cowboys – the second win over Week Two’s 813Preps No. 1-ranked team this week.
“I’ve never done anything like that in my life,” Guise said, “so, that felt pretty good.”
For more photos from this one, click here.
But that was far from the Gryphons only highlight.
On the mound, Guise worked just two innings, allowing an unearned run improving to 2-1 on the season finishing with three strikeouts.
After waiting for his moment as a junior varsity player for three seasons, Sickles (6-1) senior Will Lichtenfels made the very most of his Saladino debut, sending a 0-2, off-speed offering out over the wall in left-center to push the game out of reach with his team’s (and his high school career’s) first home run – a grand slam.
“It was really exciting,” Lichtenfels said after the game. “It was a big game. We’re always trying to beat Gaither, this kept an 11-game win streak going against them.”
Sickles senior Will Lichtenfels is congratulated by Gryphons head coach Eric Luksis after his first-inning grand slam.
Frustrations grew quickly for Gaither (5-2) ace Michael Fernandez after Sickles leadoff man Jacob Dial was put aboard on a two-base error, and he struggled to find the strike zone issuing the first five of the 14 walks drawn by the Gryphons in the game.
“Mikey is a great pitcher,” Guise said of his starting counterpart. “I played with him all summer, stuff just didn’t go his way today, but that’s because we had a really great approach. We swung it really well.”
Sickles third baseman Thomas Bly makes a catch in foul territory to end the top of the second.
The Gryphons would hang 10 runs on the Miami-signed lefty, but just four earned, before he gave way to the bullpen.
Lichtenfels said the first inning was exactly the start his team needed for a long Saladino run, but the Gryphons wanted to keep the offense aggressive and finish the game.
“I didn’t know if (our hitting) would be that contagious,” Lichtenfels said. “But we all build off of each other’s energy – it’s happened in other games – where one guy starts it off, and the ball just keeps getting bigger and bigger. And that’s just what you saw today.”
The Cowboys tried to cut into the five-run deficit in the second inning as David Pina led off with a single, moved to third on a throwing error and was driven in when Ryder Warriner lined a full-count, RBI single into right. But that, and an RBI single from Pina the following inning would be all damage Gaither would muster.
Cowboys junior David Pina advances to third on a throwing error and would score Gaither’s first run. Pina would also add an RBI single in the third inning.
The second Cowboys run, no more than a blip after the second-inning 11-run output from the Gryphons, including a two-run homer from Jaden Nazar, a two-run single off the bat of Jordan Yost (three runs, two walks) before Guise’s second long ball of the game, this time a three-run shot.
“We played a pretty good game of baseball,” Guise said. “Now, we just have to stay locked in on the mission.”
Jaden Nazar rounds third headed for the plate after his two-run home run in the second.
Thomas Bly’s leadoff single in the fourth was followed by a pair of walks, before Brandon Gonzales called “game” with a two-run, walk-off double to end the contest via the 15-run, four-inning mercy-rule.
Junior Jordan Yost sent this hit through the right side for a two-run single.
The Gryphons return to the South Shore on Monday with a 7pm showdown with hosting Lennard, while the Cowboys will face Plant City (winners, 4-2 over the Longhorns on Saturday) in the afternoon matinee at 4pm.
#4 Sickles 18, #1 Gaither 2 (4)
G 011|0xx|x – |2|4|2
S 5(11)0|2xx|x – |18|9|1
W – Guise (2-1); L – Fernandez (2-1)
2B – Gonzales (S); HR – Lichtenfels, Guise 2, Nazar (S). Records – G (5-2); S (6-1).
