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Baseball: Mitchell Hangs Onto Top-Seed Hopes With Comeback

MUSTANGS 7, RAVENS 5

Eric Horchy/SUNCOAST

Mitchell starter Patrick Schuster delivers a pitch Tuesday night against Class 6A, District 7 rival Alonso. Schuster went six innings to earn the victory.

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By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: March 25, 2009

Updated:

TAMPA - Tuesday night's marquee Class 6A, District 7 matchup between front-runners Alonso and Mitchell did not quite play out as one would have scripted.

Starting pitchers Patrick Schuster (Mitchell) and Ray Delphey (Alonso) had previously allowed only one earned run a piece leading into the showdown. That being said, an old-fashioned, mow em' down pitching duel was suspected to be on tap.

What ensued was quite to the contrary, but that did not take anything away from the thriller that played out.

Down 5-4 entering the top of the seventh, Mitchell centerfielder Kevin Games blasted a two-run double off the left-centerfield fence that would propel the Mustangs to its biggest victory of the season and keep hope alive for a No. 1 seeding come April's district tournament. Games would plate an insurance run one batter later to put Mitchell ahead 7-5 - the game's eventual final score - when Steve Brown's grounder to short was mishandled. Relief pitcher Matthew Hewitt a perfect bottom half of the frame for the save.

"Games can play some baseball," Mitchell head coach Scot Wilcox said after his Mustangs dealt Alonso its first lost of the season. "He's only a sophomore, but he's been coming through during big situations all season. That's what he's all about."

The game-winning double was the last of Games' three hits on the night. In the third inning, the 5-foot-7 leadoff hitter hammered a two-run homer to dead center that gave Mitchell an early 2-1 lead after Alonso struck first during its initial at bats.

The Ravens struck back immediately in the home half to regain the lead. Schuster loaded the bases with the first three batters he faced and Alonso right-handed catcher Adam Pendleton made him pay by going the other way with a grand slam to put the Ravens back on top, 5-2.

"I know Pendleton and how he can hit," Schuster said later. "I know he hits inside well. That pitch got away from me. It should have been higher up in the zone."

Schuster and Delphey both struggled with uncommon command problems throughout their starts that led to getting trapped into precarious positions. Delphey walked six and hit one batter in his four innings of work, while Schuster walked four but hit three in six innings. Both finished with seven punchouts.

Down 5-2, Mitchell began to mount its comeback effort in the fifth inning. Delphey was yanked following his plunk to the back of Mustangs catcher Doug Burlett to start the inning. Senior Jordan Huchro entered and promptly walked cleanup hitter Matthew Hart. Schuster then helped out his own cause by smacking an RBI double that was followed by an RBI sac fly to center by Anthony Ritz to bring the Mustangs within one, 5-4.

Schuster hunkered down on the mound by holding the Ravens scoreless for two more frames until his fellow teammates pulled through in the seventh. Mitchell's 3-run outburst in the final inning was initiated by Conner Hale's one-out double to right-center. Another out later, freshman second baseman Joe Koehler bounded a chopper up the middle for an infield single that deflected off of Alonso pitcher Jose Fernandez's glove. Games stepped into the box next to take care of the rest.

After the game, Wilcox commented on his starting pitcher's gritty effort to earn the win and drive through adversity.

"He didn't throw his best game, but he did well," Wilcox said of Schuster and his ability to work through rocky sequences. "That's the competitor Patrick is, he deals with it. He's locked in all the time and he's so mature that he knows himself more than anybody can."

The win now pulls the Mustangs (11-2, 7-2) within a half game of Alonso (10-1, 7-1) in the District 6A-7 standings. Mitchell has one district game remaining that comes this Friday night at St. Petersburg High. The Ravens finish out 6A-7 play with home games against Countryside and Sickles.

BOX SCORE:

MITCHELL- 002 - 020 - 3 --- 7
ALONSO- 104 - 000 - 0 --- 5

TOP PERFORMERS:

Mitchell

Kevin Games- 3-for-4, 4 RBI, HR, 2 R, GW 2B, BB, SB
Patrick Schuster - W, 6 IP, 7 K, 4 ER 4 H -- 1-for-3, RBI, 2B
Joe Koehler - 1-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB

Alonso

Adam Pendleton - 1-for-4, 4 RBI, Grand Slam HR
Tyler Ding - 2-for-3, R, SB, IBB
Ray Delphey - ND, 4.0 IP, 7 K, 3 ER, 2 H -- 1-for-3, 2B, BB

Eric Horchy can be reached at 727-815-1071 or ehorchy@suncoastnews.com.

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