Smythe walks it off as TC escapes Tampa Prep's challenge

Smythe walks it off as TC escapes Tampa Prep’s challenge

Tampa Catholic’s Jackson Giovenco is fired up after a strikeout to end the fourth inning

Mike Camunas, Creative Director

TAMPA — Daniel Smythe now has two walk-off hits.

His first came when he was just 11 years old, hitting a walk-off homer in Little League. But his second — an RBI double that lifted Tampa Catholic to a 5-4 win over Tampa Prep and kept the Crusaders undefeated Wednesday night — had even more celebration.

“I kind of just blacked out,” said the senior outfielder, who came off the bench to pinch hit with one out and knock home his brother, sophomore Jack Smythe, from second base. “Everyone (mobbed me out past second base), but I was happy to (get the hit).

“I just did the same thing as I did the first time (I got a walk off) — (be ready for a) first pitch fastball (and) be ready to hit.”

Senior Daniel Smythe (third from left) is mobbed by his Tampa Catholic teammates after delivering a walk-off hit for the Crusaders 5-4 win against Tampa Prep.

Click here for more of Mike’s photos from this game.

Watch our postgame interviews with Daniel Smythe and Dominic Woodward here.

Smythe’s hit, and the win, pushed 813Preps’ No. 1 ranked team to 7-0, the best start in coach Paul Russo Jr.’s four seasons at the helm.

Kyle Brill takes a lead off of second base in the first inning, after reaching with a single to left field. Brill would score the game’s first run.

But it didn’t come easy, as the Crusaders racked up four errors in the game, including three in the first inning that allowed the Terrapins (2-4) to take a 1-0 lead out the gate — Derek Stiglich reached on an error in centerfield by Dominic Woodward, allowing Kyle Brill to score.

“You can say (the game was) ‘sloppy,’” Russo said, “but it’s probably a different word — one that’s probably not repeatable. … (We) came out flat, made some bad errors early, and I just think it wasn’t being ready to play. We didn’t get a lot of action and work in because of the rain and then the field being a mess, so off the routine a bit, but at the end of the day you have to show up.”

Russo added: “I don’t want those guys worrying about (the No. 1 ranking). I don’t want them to have that pressure — it’s a baseball game, so it shouldn’t be that much pressure.

“You have to find ways to win the game no matter what day it is or what you’re ranked.”

Tampa Catholic 2B Christian Serralles

The Crusaders and the Terrapins traded blows throughout the game, including Woodward making up for his error by driving home Luke Skora in the bottom of the first. Tampa Catholic took a 2-1 lead when Christian Serralles drove home the younger Smythe.

Tampa Prep catcher Grant Brooks

Tampa Prep tied it again in the third — Stiglich scored on an error after stealing third — and took the lead in the fourth when Xavier Rodriguez scored on a passed ball. The Crusaders came right back with Jack Smythe scoring, again, on a passed ball, then Tampa Prep took a late lead in the sixth when Liam Akins drove home Dennis Martino.

Tampa Prep freshman Dennis Martino was 2-for-4 with a run scored.

In the seventh, Jack Smythe bunted home Carson Arnold to tie the game and eventually set the stage for his brother’s walk-off knock.

“We were really focusing on not getting our heads down and not focusing that we had (so many) errors,” Woodward said. “We’re a really good hitting team, so we were confident that we would get the hits out there to get it back.

“It’s really nice (to start 7-0), and I know we have a really good team, so it’s going to be a great year if we continue to put it all together.”

Tampa Prep junior starting pitcher Liam Akins

The Terrapins relied on four pitchers, including starting Akins, who gave up two earned runs on four hits and struck out five over four innings and 89 pitches.

“Liam threw great, as he does most times when he’s on the mound for us and he really battled out there for the team,” Terrapins coach A.J. Hendrix said.

“(I’ll tell the guys) to keep your heads up,” he added. “We played, but lost, to a really good baseball team, but proved we could beat them, as they’re one of the best in the area.”

Tampa Catholic senior righty Jake Owen

Tampa Catholic started senior Jake Owen, who would last three innings (78 pitches) and only gave up one earned run because of the errors, but did allow three hits, three walks and struck out four.

Tampa Catholic head coach Paul Russo Jr. makes a pitching change, bringing in sophomore Jackson Giovenco in the fourth inning

Though it was the young sophomore, Jackson Giovenco, that the Crusaders leaned on, with the righty finishing out the last three-plus innings in relief, striking out seven and giving up just four hits and one run on 67 pitches.

“Jack is just a sophomore, and I’m looking forward to the next three years with him,” Russo said. “He’s going to be big for us on the mound. The younger guys, when they’re on the mound, you just try to put them in spots so they succeed. He’s been successful in a lot of tight spots this year.

“I’m excited to see what he does the next few years because if you can pitch like that as a sophomore, that’s huge, and we’re going to be leaning on him a lot in the future.”

Jackson Giovenco struck out seven in his 3 1/3 innings on the mound, earning the win.

Smythe agrees.

“Jackson is a young guy,” he said, “who stepped up and ate up some innings and that’s all you can ask for from a guy like him.”

But Russo was even more impressed with a guy like Smythe.

“Today was one of those down days when they weren’t ready,” Russo conceded, “but that’s putting nothing past Tampa Prep. They came to play and they even outplayed us today, but we found a way to win — there were a lot of negatives today, I told them, but you found a way to win.

“(And Daniel) coming off the bench was ready to go in a big spot. In the fourth inning I told him to get ready to hit — it just happened to be in the seventh, but he was in the cage and was ready to go at the plate.”

#1 Tampa Catholic 5
Tampa Prep 4

TP 101|101|0 – |4|7|1
TC 110|100|2 – |5|9|4
W – Giovenco (2-0); L – Brill (0-1)
2B – Brooks, Martino (TP); D. Smythe (TC). Records – TP (2-4); TC (7-0).