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Giles: Pirates Missed Goals

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By CRISTINA LEDRA

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 12, 2008

PALATKA - There wasn't a sound coming from the Pasco dugout other than a backdrop of sobs as Coach Ricky Giles lamented another disappointing playoff exit for the Pirates.

Palatka won the best-of-three region final after winning Game 2 Friday night and Game 3 Saturday.

"I'm hurt not because of them losing the game," Giles said following the 9-6 Game 3 loss. "We had situations that we didn't take advantage and just didn't do what we were supposed to."

Pitching and defense had been strengths for the Pirates all season long and those were the areas where they suddenly had problems in the region final.

Pasco had only officially recorded four errors between Games 2 and 3. However, there were a handful of plays that were miscued or misjudged that accounted for Palatka runs and didn't show up in the scorebook as errors.

"I remember a time when you could kind of put them in line, but they get so caught up and they get the tendency to want to do their own thing," Giles said. "I just don't understand. When you gotta make the plays, they're sitting there thinking about it."

And going through six pitchers in one game, as the Pirates did in Game 2, was a nightmare situation in a three-game series.

Pasco had relied on Aaron Brandt, Dustin Brown and Henry Johnson all season and Brandt pitched the Game 1 win with Johnson coming in for the save.

Brown struggled early in Game 2 and the pitchers that came in behind him had little experience. Matt Gude had two innings pitched, Chris Dious had 71/3, Eric Dee had 18 and Josh Johnson had two.
Giles didn't want to use Henry Johnson in Game 2, but did in the second inning with the Pirates trailing 8-2. Josh Johnson finished the game that eventually ended 10-5 in favor of Palatka.

The Pirates had plenty of power on offense to speak of with home runs from Jacob Schrader, Brennan Allen and Josh Johnson.

Again, the defense was not able to keep Palatka's offense under control.

"When they've got goals, they don't play to get goals," Giles said. "They just figure it's just supposed to happen. I think this is typical of why Palatka is going to the state tournament and we're not. We just didn't reach for the goals like we wanted to, like we should, and we just laid back, but that's the way it goes."

Having won the first game of the series, the Pirates would have gone to the state tournament in any other year prior to this one. The new best-of-three series format, which is a two-year experiment started by the Florida High School Athletic Association this season, meant Pasco had to play on though Giles couldn't fault the format for his team not advancing.

"There's nothing wrong with that format," Giles said. "I agree with it. Palatka could have easily beat us the first game, so we just didn't do what we set out here to do."

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