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Wake-Up Call: Gaither's Doty left no doubt

Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH

Drew Doty's double to the right-center gap ended Patrick Schuster's hitless innings streak.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 29, 2009

The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

Gaither High School junior center fielder Drew Doty, who just last week smashed four home runs in four consecutive at-bats, has another distinction.

Now he's the answer to a trivia question.

Who broke up Patrick Schuster's Florida-record string of four consecutive no-hitters?

That would be Doty, whose recent production has been anything but trivial.

By game's end, when the Cowboys defeated the Mitchell Mustangs 9-4 to win Tuesday's Class 6A-District 7 tournament semifinals at Countryside High School, Mitchell's historical no-hit string almost seemed inconsequential.

After all, the Cowboys wound up with two more hits off Schuster. Justin Delgado collected a fourth-inning single in the fourth inning. Then sophomore Zach Jackson – after fouling off four consecutive pitches – picked on a 1-2 fastball and stroked a two-run go-ahead single in the fifth.

Gaither had assured itself a spot in next week's regional playoffs. And the season had ended for Schuster and Mitchell, which had designs on a run to the 6A state championship.

But for everyone that picked up on Schuster's no-hit streak, including the fans that flocked to Countryside and those who followed the action through ESPN updates, Doty's third-inning double to deep right field was the moment that resonated.

"That ball is ripped into right. … Brown giving chase. … There it is! The first hit in five games given up by Patrick Schuster,'' went the call from Joe Girvan of Bright House Sports Network, who worked the game along with former major-leaguers Mike LaValliere and Frank Viola.

Rick Doty, the player's father who sat just outside the fence along the third-base line, received more than 20 telephone calls in a 40-minute span. One came from his sister, Arlene Albrecht, who was in North Carolina and saw her nephew's hit on ESPN.

Somehow, Doty's hit did not make "SportsCenter's" nightly list of the top 10 plays, but competition was stiff from major-league baseball, plus the NBA and NHL playoffs.

ESPN's Steve Levy described Doty's hit as a "no-doubt-about-it double.'' Levy pointed out that Schuster was ranked as the 42nd best high school baseball player in America and a potential second-round draft pick, but had the option of his scholarship to the University of Florida.

"Go to college, son,'' chimed in ESPN's Scott Van Pelt. "Enjoy yourself, especially in Gainesville.''

Schuster said he was glad to be free of the no-hit pressure, but added he would always remember the madcap month of baseball.

Doty, too, has something to remember, a moment that will last forever.

Stobbs stops USF

It's two steps forward, one step back in the University of South Florida's quest to reach its first NCAA baseball regional since 2002. The Bulls (27-16) fell to Central Florida (16-26) in Orlando on Tuesday night. UCF prevailed 9-5 and received 6 2/3 innings from sophomore Evan Stobbs (Sarasota), who was making his first collegiate start. Stobbs had seven strikeouts, including five straight at one point.

An irrelevant but interesting note on Stobbs: His grandfather, Chuck Stobbs, pitched 15 years in the major leagues. While with the Washington Senators, he surrendered a 565-foot home run to Yankees CF Mickey Mantle, which was the longest-measured shot in MLB history.

The Bulls (leading the Big East at 15-3, but just 12-13 in nonconference games) and Knights meet again tonight in Tampa. Game time at USF's Red McEwen Field is 7 p.m.

Georgia, Murray top rankings

Tom Luginbill of ESPN's Scouts Inc. lists Georgia No. 1 in his early enrollee rankings – or the recruits who entered school in January to get a jump on college football's spring season. Luginbill wrote that Bulldogs QB Aaron Murray (Plant) "has the 2009 quarterback class's best, fastest release and Brett Favre-type moxie.''

Figgins off and running

Los Angeles Angels 3B Chone Figgins (Brandon) had two stolen bases on Tuesday night against the Orioles, boosting his total to nine. Only Red Sox OF Jacoby Ellsbury (10) has more in the American League.

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to former Rays pitcher Tony Saunders, the first player selected in the expansion draft after starting for the Florida Marlins in the 1997 World Series. In 1999, Saunders broke his left arm while throwing a pitch. He broke it again during a 2000 rehab assignment and retired from baseball before a brief comeback with the Baltimore Orioles' organization in 2005. Today, Saunders turns 35.

The Answer Man

Here's the answer to Tuesday's trivia question:

Kansas State University, which produced Bucs first-round pick Josh Freeman, has had two quarterbacks finish in the top 10 of Heisman Trophy voting – Lynn Dickey (10th in 1970) and Michael Bishop (second in 1998).

Wednesday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

Rays first baseman Carlos Pena has nine home runs in the season's opening month. Who has the franchise record for most homers (11) in the month of April?

Check for the answer in Thursday's Wake-Up Call.

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