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Timberwolves face end of the line after loss to Miami-Dade
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| Lake City Community College’s Billy Moran tries to bunt during a game against Seminole Community College on April 29 in Lake City. The Timberwolves’ final season came to end Saturday when they fell 8-5 to Miami-Dade Community College in Winter Haven. JASON MATTHEW WALKER/Lake City Reporter |
Lake City falls 8-5 in state elimination game Saturday.
By TIM KIRBY
tkirby@lakecityreporter.com
WINTER HAVEN — Nobody makes the last out is standard chatter when a team is trailing in the last inning of a game. Sometimes it means a season. On Saturday, it meant a lifetime for Lake City Community College baseball.
The distinction fell to
two-time all-conference catcher Roberto Perez, who took a called third strike in a 3-2 count as he was trying to get on base and bring the tying run to the plate.
It all ended with an 8-5 loss to Miami-Dade Community College in an elimination game in the FCCAA State Baseball Tournament at Chain of Lakes Park.
“I felt like the kids battled hard, we just didn’t hold the thing,” LCCC coach Tom Clark said. “We brought our bats pretty good, but I thought we should have put more runs on the board. We didn’t get it done in the bullpen again.”
Lake City led even later in this game than on Friday. A two-run seventh inning put the Timberwolves on top 5-4.
Miami-Dade tied it in the bottom of the fourth inning and scored three runs in the eighth. The Sharks stay alive and will play the loser of the St. Petersburg College/Chipola Community College game at
1 p.m. today.
Lake City again started strong, this time scoring two runs in the top of the first inning.
Kelvin Clark had a lead-off double and Orlando Bacon traded places with him on a ball also hit down the left-field line, but from the opposite side of the plate. Perez
singled then Greg Blake grounded into a double play as Bacon scored. Chris Jones added a single.
Miami-Dade scored one run in the second inning and two in the fourth for a
3-2 lead.
Lake City tied it in the fifth on singles by Billy Moran and Clark, and an RBI-grounder by Bacon.
The ‘Wolves had two hits in the sixth inning, but Emmanuel Morales was thrown out trying to stretch his single into a double
and Jonathan Ramos was gunned down on a botched hit-and-run play.
Lake City’s go-ahead rally came with two outs. Bacon singled for his third hit of the game. Perez burned the left-field line for a double and Blake drove them both home with a single.
Tommy Ulmer had a
pinch-hit double in the ninth inning, but Lake City was through.
Starter Jeff Barfield pitched 61⁄3 innings with nine hits, five runs, no walks and six
strikeouts. Michael Gallo took the loss with three hits,
three runs and a walk in one inning. Casey Medlen struck out the last two batters after giving up an RBI-single.
“We went with Gallo because it was a do-or-die situation for us,” Clark said. “He was supposed to be the starter tomorrow and we felt like it gave us the best chance to hold the lead and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.”
Lake City faced another good reliever with Eric Berkowitz working 42⁄3 innings for the win. Eric Fornataro started.
Nick Navarro had a two-run double in the eighth inning to go with an earlier two-RBI single. Victor Madrazo had a triple and two singles and scored three runs. Carmello Jaime and Gerardo Caceres both had two hits and drove in a run. C.J. Lauriello had a solo home run.
“We will stay tonight and leave tomorrow,” Clark said after the game Saturday. “That will be the end of Lake City baseball.”
The distinction fell to
two-time all-conference catcher Roberto Perez, who took a called third strike in a 3-2 count as he was trying to get on base and bring the tying run to the plate.
It all ended with an 8-5 loss to Miami-Dade Community College in an elimination game in the FCCAA State Baseball Tournament at Chain of Lakes Park.
“I felt like the kids battled hard, we just didn’t hold the thing,” LCCC coach Tom Clark said. “We brought our bats pretty good, but I thought we should have put more runs on the board. We didn’t get it done in the bullpen again.”
Lake City led even later in this game than on Friday. A two-run seventh inning put the Timberwolves on top 5-4.
Miami-Dade tied it in the bottom of the fourth inning and scored three runs in the eighth. The Sharks stay alive and will play the loser of the St. Petersburg College/Chipola Community College game at
1 p.m. today.
Lake City again started strong, this time scoring two runs in the top of the first inning.
Kelvin Clark had a lead-off double and Orlando Bacon traded places with him on a ball also hit down the left-field line, but from the opposite side of the plate. Perez
singled then Greg Blake grounded into a double play as Bacon scored. Chris Jones added a single.
Miami-Dade scored one run in the second inning and two in the fourth for a
3-2 lead.
Lake City tied it in the fifth on singles by Billy Moran and Clark, and an RBI-grounder by Bacon.
The ‘Wolves had two hits in the sixth inning, but Emmanuel Morales was thrown out trying to stretch his single into a double
and Jonathan Ramos was gunned down on a botched hit-and-run play.
Lake City’s go-ahead rally came with two outs. Bacon singled for his third hit of the game. Perez burned the left-field line for a double and Blake drove them both home with a single.
Tommy Ulmer had a
pinch-hit double in the ninth inning, but Lake City was through.
Starter Jeff Barfield pitched 61⁄3 innings with nine hits, five runs, no walks and six
strikeouts. Michael Gallo took the loss with three hits,
three runs and a walk in one inning. Casey Medlen struck out the last two batters after giving up an RBI-single.
“We went with Gallo because it was a do-or-die situation for us,” Clark said. “He was supposed to be the starter tomorrow and we felt like it gave us the best chance to hold the lead and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.”
Lake City faced another good reliever with Eric Berkowitz working 42⁄3 innings for the win. Eric Fornataro started.
Nick Navarro had a two-run double in the eighth inning to go with an earlier two-RBI single. Victor Madrazo had a triple and two singles and scored three runs. Carmello Jaime and Gerardo Caceres both had two hits and drove in a run. C.J. Lauriello had a solo home run.
“We will stay tonight and leave tomorrow,” Clark said after the game Saturday. “That will be the end of Lake City baseball.”
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