Bell, Osborne power Steinbrenner to 9-5 victory

Bell, Osborne power Steinbrenner to 9-5 victory

Steinbrenner’s Nick Osborne (#7) is greeted by a leaping forearm smash from fellow senior Austin Liss (#17) after the former put the Warriors ahead for good with a two-run homer in the sixth.

By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor

LUTZ – Steinbrenner’s Nick Osborne crushed a sixth-inning fastball towering to centerfield for a two-run home run that gave his team the lead as the Warriors went on to a 9-5 win against visiting Wharton Saturday morning.

And though the senior’s second home run of the season was the deciding factor, for first-year Warriors head coach Chenzo Scanio, the dinger might not have even been Osborne’s best at bat of the game.

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After Wharton (8-2) scored a first-inning run, Wildcats senior Daniel Duno struck out the first two Warriors he faced before Osborne stepped to the plate, fell behind in the count, but kept the inning alive with a single sliced into center.

Wharton SP Daniel Duno allowed three runs in four innings, on five hits and had four strikeouts.

Steinbrenner took its first lead of the game in the next at bat when senior Kason Bell launched the first of his two home runs over the wall in left.

“His at bat before Kason’s first home run, was the at bat of the game,” Scanio said. “We talk about it all the time, extending innings and passing the bat. We get two quick outs there then he’s in a hole there after two (strikes), he battles the count, singles and then we get a big two-run home run.”

Wharton senior Drew Cobb sent this ball into left for a double in the first inning …

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… and scored on this double from Chase Anello to right.

The Wildcats started the game with Drew Cobb and Chase Anello (2-for-3) going back-to-back with doubles, then retook the lead in the second with four singles highlighted by an RBI hit from Jarius Morris and Justis Meadows putting two on the board with a single up the middle. Wharton then tacked on a fifth and final run in the third when Antonio Fawcett singled to right.

Jarius Morris celebrates his second-inning RBI single …

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… and senior Justis Meadows followed that up with a two-run hit.

Duno put up zeros in the second and third, but saw his day end in a no-decision after allowing one more in the fourth on a Gavin Mix sac fly. Duno struck out four, and gave up five hits in the game.

“We knew (Duno) was who we were facing today, so yesterday we went straight to coach (Shaun) Fowler’s classroom after school and watched some film and really tried to understand what we wanted to do against them,” Scanio said. “After he struck them out (Steinbrenner’s first two hitters of the game), we knew he was everything we saw on film.”

Sophomore righty Jordan Anstett allowed one run in his 2 1/3 innings of work, striking out three.

Steinbrenner (6-5) sent six different pitchers to the mound, getting three strikeouts apiece from Landen Boever and Jordan Anstett, and got steady, scoreless relief from Austin Liss, Brooks Belisle (win) and Mason Koumas (who each struck out two in an inning apiece).

“We’re a little bit banged up on the mound, so I knew we would have to score today,” Scanio said. “We didn’t pitch the ball great today, but we did enough and knew it was going to take a collaborative effort.”

Wharton senior Chase Anello (2-for-3, RBI) is fired up after a single in the sixth …

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… but junior Brooks Belisle matches the intensity after picking off a runner at first and getting his team up to bat with a strikeout.

With some stinginess on the mound in the final four innings, the Warriors hitters got going and chipped away at the lead.

Kason Bell squares up his second big fly of the game, tying the score at 5-5 in the fifth inning.

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Bell lets the Warriors dugout here it as he makes his way toward second base.

Great win today for the boys against Wharton. Went 2/3 with two bombs. @ChenzoScanio @813Preps @GSHShardball pic.twitter.com/5lXrgolojS

— Kason Bell (@theKasonBell) March 8, 2025

After Ty Ciccarello lined a hit into left to start the home-fifth, Bell deposited his second home run to left field to tie the game.

“Kason has been unbelievable, he battled some illness in the fall and didn’t get to play a ton,” Scanio said. “Then he had a back injury against Carrollwood Day (on Feb. 17), starting that game (pitching) before getting taken out. He’s played third, he’s played first, he’s pitched some for us, and he’s had some really big hits.

“When he’s going good it really extends our lineup. I think we can put good at bats together one-through-nine, but when he’s in the middle extending that kind of power – we’re are going to be in business.”

Warriors first baseman Dylan Kolsen (1-for-2) makes an adjustment on a late chop before running to the bag for an out.

After his three-run, four-RBI game, Bell spoke of his day like it was any other day going about that “business.”

“I was just looking for the right pitch to hit to give us a chance to win a ball game,” Bell said. “Our team stayed in this game the whole way and when we do that, this is how we expect it to go.”

Spoken like a veteran slugger adding to a long tally of career home runs. But when asked how many multi-homer games he had before Saturday, Bell chuckled and said, “none.”

Then grinning added: “This was my first and second (high school career home runs) today,” Bell said. “It feels pretty good.”

Warriors C Ty Ciccarello throws a pickoff attempt down to first base.

Ciccarello again got aboard in the sixth setting up Osborne’s big fly to take the lead.

“This is what we work for every day, and I didn’t do anything crazy up there,” Osborne said. “I knew (Wharton) had a lefty (senior Chase Andress) out there who can throw really well, and I got a pitch I could demolish and I went after it.”

Steinbrenner senior Nick Osborne stomps on home plate after his sixth-inning, two-run home run put the Warriors ahead for good in a 9-5 win over Wharton. Osborne was 2-for-3 with a walk and scored twice, on top of his second home run of the season.

Second bomb of the season today with a go-ahead HR in the bottom of the 6th against Wharton. @GSHShardball @813Preps @ChenzoScanio pic.twitter.com/KKCyy30yHa

— Nick Osborne (@nickosbornee) March 8, 2025

The Warriors kept the inning going and built onto the lead with an RBI hit from Will Hoblitzell and a final run scoring on a throwing error after Devin Wirth got things moving with a hit to right. Seven Steinbrenner hitters had at least one hit, and four had a multi-hit game including a 3-for-4 showing from Mason Koumas (double).

“We destroyed it with hitting today,” Koumas said. “It was like we were seeing a beach ball out there and that’s just a fun way for the game to go.”

Will Hoblitzell (2-for-3, two runs) slides into the plate in the sixth.

Koumas took the hill for the final inning and worked around some runners as he sandwiched a strikeout with a pair of walks.

That strikeout drew a late strike-three-looking call from the home plate umpire and Wharton coach Anthony Markle sounded off from the third-base coaching box, was given some leeway before continuing to argue and getting thrown out of the game causing delay.

Mason Koumas struck out a pair in the final inning, and also had three hits in the Warriors win.

Koumas however, was unfazed getting a fly ball and his second strikeout to end the win for his team.

“Mason is our guy,” Scanio said. “Mason and Kelton Meares were voted captains, almost unanimously, and I feel like with either on the mound we are in a pretty good position. No one else was touching the ball there.”

Wharton travels to Armwood on Tuesday, while Steinbrenner next heads to Leto for a game on Monday.

Prior to Saturday’s game, former Steinbrenner head coach John Crumbley threw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch and was surprised by the school and team when his jersey No. 25 was retired. Crumbley, who amassed more than 800 wins and won four state titles (three at Jesuit and one at Steinbrenner) and the 1997 Baseball America National Title, retired as the baseball coach at the end of the 2024 season.

Steinbrenner 9
#6 Wharton 5

W 131|000|0 – |5|9|3
S 200|124|x – |9|12|0
W – Belisle (2-0); L – Andress
2B – Cobb, Anello (W); Koumas (S); HR – Bell 2, Osborne (S). Records – W (8-2); S (6-5).