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Baseball: Pasco Outslugs Zephyrhills

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By RICK HARMON

Tribune correspondent

Published: March 14, 2009

ZEPHYRHILLS - During the Pasco-Zephyrhills baseball game Friday night, the public address announcer at John F. Clements Field asked trivia questions like "Who was the first major league baseball player to have his uniform number retired?"

When these two Class 4A-District 8 rivals hook up on April 17 at Pasco, as perfect trivia question would be, "When was the last time Pasco lost to Zephyrhills?"

The answer is 2004 after the Pirates outslugged Zephyrhills 8-5 to remain undefeated in district play. The two teams combined for 7 home runs with the big blow coming in the top of the seventh when Jacob Schrader hit his fifth homer of the season with one out and the score tied 5-5. Travis Minton also went deep in the inning, a 2-run shot to center field.

"We don't have an answer for [Pasco manager] Ricky Giles and Pasco," said an obviously dejected Zephyrhills manager Bruce Cimorelli. "We can never get it done. We always come up short."

Pasco's Christopher Dious and Zephyrhills' Tyler Guy were in a pitcher's duel for four innings with the Bulldogs clinging to a 2-1 lead. But Guy got in trouble in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Cole Stancil singled and went to second when Schrader reached on a fielding error. Catcher Jorge Jaramillo hit a fastball up in the zone for a 3-run home run and the Pirates led 4-2. Brennan Allen followed with a double and Guy's night was done on the mound.

Trejon Smith hit a home run with one out in the sixth inning to increase Pasco's lead to 5-2 but Zephyrhills (7-3, 6-2 4A-8) came back in the bottom of the inning to tie the score. Guy led off the inning with his second home run of the game and one out later, C.J. Gennaro earned an 8-pitch walk. With two outs, sophomore Devin Rogers hit a pinch-hit, 2-run home run to dead center to tie the score.

"The guys in that spot weren't hitting and Devin's been swinging the bat well," Cimorelli said.

Pasco (8-1, 7-0 4A-8) continues to hit the ball with authority. The Pirates are averaging 11.3 runs per game and 10.1 hits. The Pirates have his 15 home runs in 9 games.

"The kids came in and played like I thought they would," Giles said. "They tell me all the time they never feel like they're never out of a game. They go up there and swing and swing."

Meanwhile, Cimorelli continues to tweak the Bulldogs lineup, even after 10 games.

"We're struggling [with our] hitting," he said. "We did not hit the ball well. We've got to get everybody on the same page."

Guy was 2-for-3 with 2 home runs and a walk hitting in the No. 3 position but the other four in the top 5 of the order were a combined 2-for-14 with 5 strikeouts.

Pasco 000 131 3 — 8 8 1
Zephyrhills 101 003 0 — 5 7 1

W—Allen (3-0). L—Fern (1-2). 2B—Jaramillo, Allen (P); Gennaro (Z). HR—Jaramillo (3), Smith (1), Schrader (5), Minton (1) (P); T. Guy 2 (5), Rogers (1) (Z). Records—P 8-1, 7-0 4A-8, 5-1 Sunshine Athletic Conference; Z 7-3, 6-2 4A-8, 4-3 SAC.

Correspondent Rick Harmon can be reached at tampabaystringer@gmail.com

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