Durant rides two big innings for Saladino opening win

Durant senior Brody Lissy connected on this fastball away, going with the pitch and sending it over the wall in right – sparking a five-run rally for the Cougars in an 11-1 Saladino Tournament win against Newsome.

By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor

PLANT CITY – After Newsome took an early lead on a Durant error, the Cougars players decided that would be the only hesitant blink of Saturday’s Saladino Gold Division game.

Mistakes, according to Durant junior Jacob Purcell, can quickly gain momentum and make it hard to overcome.

“The team that makes the fewest mistakes, wins the ball game,” Purcell said. “So, we had to make sure we kept putting it on them and let them make mistakes. And when they make mistakes, we got to just keep putting on them.”

We’ve got around 100 photos from this game (click here for gallery).

And though it took a few innings, as Durant put runners in scoring position without a run in the first two frames, the momentum decidedly shifted the other direction as the Cougars piled it on and ended it early with an 11-1, mercy-rule victory over the nearby rival Wolves.

Durant senior C Brantley Hayward sends the ball out to the mound as he runs off the field after a Owen Franklin strikeout ends the top of the third.

Leading off the home-third Durant (8-3) senior Brody Lissy went with a pitch away, lifting a ball the other direction into a steady wind and tied the game as the ball landed in the bullpen behind the rightfield wall.

“I thought it had a chance and I knew I’d hit it pretty well,” Lissy said. “A little outside fastball, so I just went that way with it.”

After taking a toss from 2B Aidan Junttila and stepping on the bag, Durant SS Brady Kelley finishes of a double play in the second with a strong throw to first.

And the Cougars pounced from there, Purcell gave his team the lead for good scoring Jack Brooks from second with a line drive hit. A two-out hit batter extended the inning for Brantley Hayward to fly a two-run hit to center, and Durant pushed the game out of reach when that hit batter, Brady Kelley, stole third drawing a bad throw and hurried home as the ball sailed down the line.

Jacob Purcell gives Durant the lead in the third with this single lined to left field.

The first-inning run for Newsome (10-3) was manufactured without a hit, with Ocean Cozart reaching on a fielder’s choice, stealing second and crossing the plate on a bad throw to third base.

After stealing second and third, Newsome’s Ocean Cozart rushes home at the direction of Wolves head coach Dick Rohrberg after a bad throw down the line.

Though it took a few offensive at-bats, Lissy said he and his teammates knew it was crucial to answer back and not let things start trending in Newsome’s favor.

“Especially in a rivalry game like this,” Lissy said. “You’ve got to come right back and put runs on the board, otherwise they take the momentum and it could stay that way the rest of the game.”

Durant senior Owen Franklin was stingy, holding Newsome to one unearned run in the first, and striking out five in his two-hit run-shortened complete-game.

The first-inning run was but a momentary blip for senior righty Owen Franklin, who earned the win, working all five innings, allowing just two hits, a lone walk and striking out five. The early deficit not flustering the now 3-1 Franklin, who has allowed just four earned in his 20 innings on the mound.

“It’s all about keeping your composure and going out there and being able to fight, fight, fight,” Franklin said. “If a guy gets on, you have to fight even harder, that’s all it’s about.”

Brantley Hayward squares up an elevated fastball for a two-run single.

He fired in strikes consistently, and said he never doubted the production would come, especially as the Cougars ride a five-game win-streak where Durant has outscored opponents 42-3 – all started by March 4th’s five-inning complete-game from Franklin against Sumner.

“I didn’t doubt our offense for a second,” Franklin said. “It’s what we’ve done lately, except maybe Thursday night (a narrow, 1-0 win against Alonso). (Production) like this is what we do, this is who Durant is, and this is our expectation every game.”

A throw trying to catch Brady Kelley stealing third, sailed over the glove of a leaping Wolves 3B JJ Shotwell …

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… and allowed Kelley to score on the error.

The five-spot in the third was earned before even stepping into the batter’s box according to Hayward.

“I think it is all about what we do on the on-deck circle,” Hayward said. “I think that is the biggest thing for us right now. We see a lot of good pitching, we usually see everyone’s ace – that’s what this program, with its history, expects. So, that is the most important time, seeing their pitcher, getting down his timing, and even if we get an out, communicating those details to the next hitter.”

Newsome’s Anthony DeVito keeps a close eye on Owen Franklin on the mound, after his leadoff single in the fourth.

The Cougars found that rhythm as the Wolves pitching struggled, going through three arms, before a steadying relief outing from Cooper Topp, who ended the third with a strikeout, then fanned the side in the fourth.

Wolves junior Cooper Topp struck out all four Durant batter he faced on Saturday.

But with the lead in hand, Franklin was composed and went about his business, and garnered praise from his battery-mate, Hayward.

“He definitely throws a lot of strikes, but he’s not trying to overthrow it,” Hayward said. “Owen pounds the zone, throws all his off-speeds for strikes, and he gets outs. Even down 3-1, he finds a way to come back with strikes.”

Owen Franklin added five strikeouts to the win, and now has 26 in 19 2/3 innings of work, with a record of 3-1.

Offensively, Durant was far from complacent, even with a comfortable lead. Purcell started off the home-fifth with a single keying the offense to plate six runs and end the game early.

“We had to keep the energy going, the guy behind you picking you up – and everybody was doing that the whole game,” Purcell said. “And our coaches, every time we were on deck, Coach (Brent) Franklin is telling us, ‘look at him, look at him, look at him,’ making sure we were all focused on the pitchers.”

Newsome first base coach Carlos Somellan gets an up-close view as Cougars first baseman Jackson McClellan catches a foul pop.

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Leftfielder Dylan Karnowski ends the top of the fifth with this catch.

Aidan Junttila singled in a run to continue that focus, Shawn Graves got into the action with an RBI hit to center, and the win finished out with Jack Brooks wearing a pitch with the bases loaded, a pair of bases-loaded walks (including a second RBI for Purcell) and Brooks forcing the mercy rule, scoring the final run on a wild pitch.

With the bases loaded, Jack Brooks wears a pitch just under the numbers in the fifth inning.

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… and on a passed ball, Brooks ends it early scoring the mercy-rule run.

Hayward, a senior now playing in his fourth Saladino Tournament, said he well knows how important it is to pick up that opening day win.

“I think this is probably the biggest win of the tournament,” Hayward said.

Then immediately corrected himself: “Well, maybe not. Hopefully, we pull these next two out and go from there, but this win is obviously the one that you have to get. We’re on a five-game win-streak, bats are swinging and we’re going to roll that into the next game.”

Durant now faces Plant (winners 5-0 against King on Saturday) at home on Monday at 7 pm, while Newsome takes on the Lions at 4 pm.