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Lancers One Win Away From Title

Sarasota Herald-Tribune photo

Cambridge baserunner Chris Brown (cq, left) is safe at second base under SS Evin Lynch (cq, top), during the top of the first inning in the 1A semifinal baseball game between Trinity Christian and Cambridge, at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla.

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By CRISTINA LEDRA

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 20, 2008

SARASOTA - It was the kind of win they were hoping for but were still a little surprised to get one game away from the state final.

In an 18-0, five-inning game, the Cambridge Lancers (26-2) racked up 16 hits and allowed only two to Deltona Trinity Christian (21-10) to advance to the Class 1A state final at 4 p.m. today at Ed Smith Stadium.

Cambridge will play for the state championship against Jacksonville Eagle's View (24-8), which has 6A Sarasota and 5A Dunedin on its list of victims this season.

"We're on a high right now and we just can't wait to roll in here today and play the game of baseball," Lancers freshman Andrew Widell said.

Cambridge started its offensive barrage in the first inning, scoring three runs on three hits and added two more in the second on an RBI triple from Trent Tagliarini.

Cambridge took pitcher Michael Miller out of the game after two innings to save his arm and put in Logan McDougall, who pitched the last three innings.

Cambridge coach Rick Shears said immediately following the game that he had not yet spoken to the team's pitching coach, so he was not certain if Miller would go today, but said it was a "big possibility."

The Lancers scored six more runs in the third inning to extend their lead to 11-0 and put up another seven runs in the fifth and final inning.

Widell also had an RBI triple that scored three runs in the third inning. Widell finished 4-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs.

"We don't concentrate on hitting," Shears said. "Hitting is our third thing that we usually do. Stealing and pitching is our first two, so the hitting came through and I guess it paid off the little that we do.

"The kids were always complaining that practice was only two hours and I said we would peak at the right time of the year so maybe that came through."

Meanwhile, Trinity, with 11 players on its roster, was rotating pitchers in to try and keep the game under control to no avail. The Eagles went through four pitchers in five innings and could only account for two hits.

It rained for almost the entire game and there was a break in play the first inning while the grounds crew put more dirt down on the pitcher's mound and batter's box.

Though both McDougall and Trinity starting pitcher Ryan Hadden said the weather made conditions challenging, Hadden struggled with them more, especially with getting his footing.

On offense, Trinity had trouble hitting to the right spots. Cambridge struck out only two Trinity batters. Most of the Eagles' outs came on groundouts.

"I'm not disappointed in them," Trinity coach Mike Maples said. "I'm just glad to be here, being here the second year and with the young kids I've got. I'm only losing two seniors and I've got juniors and sophomores and the last kid that hit was an eighth-grader."

Reporter Cristina Ledra can be reached at (813) 948-4203 or cledra@tampatrib.com.

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