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Baseball: Givens propels Plant

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By JARRETT GUTHRIE

Tribune correspondent

Published: May 9, 2009

TAMPA - Plant pitcher Mychal Givens said he's past all the nerves and jitters - no longer awed by big crowds and cameras.

Some who only caught his first inning of work Friday against Jesuit, where Givens gave up two runs on three hits might say he isn't quite there. But through the next seven innings, it certainly looked like his nerves were solid as the senior pitched a complete game into extra innings, allowing only three more Tigers hits and striking out 14 as Plant defeated Jesuit 3-2 in the 5A-Region 3 semifinals.

"You could say there were some nerves, but not really," Givens said after the game. "The cameras got to me but I settled down and knew it was just another ballgame."

Jesuit timed Givens' fastball well in the first inning and scored two runs on an RBI single by Joe Hudson, but that was all Givens would allow as he struck out at least one Tigers batter in each of his eight innings.

"That doesn't suck," Panthers coach Dennis Braun said of Givens' strikeout total. "That's our guy and when you have got your guy out there - he's just great."

With the game tied at 2 in the home half of the eighth with one out and the bases loaded, Jesuit freshman reliever Lance McCullers' only pitch skipped in front of the plate and to the backstop, allowing Dylan Henderson, who singled in the inning, to score from third for the game winner.

Plant's tying two runs came in the third inning on RBI singles from Givens and Jake Lowe.

Plant travels to Punta Gorda Charlotte in the region final Friday. Charlotte defeated Seminole Osceola 9-2 in Friday's semifinals.

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