HS Roundup: Scores from Thursday night baseball, softball, lacrosse action

FRIDAY

Softball

ECS 8, LaBelle 0: In a showdown of top 5 teams in The News-Press/Naples Daily News rankings, the Sentinels showed why they are No. 1.

Pitcher Zoe Yzaguirre struck out 14 and allowed just two hits with no walks while Kylie Davie and Taylor Davison each had two hits and two RBI as ECS improved to 12-1 with an 8-0 home win. LaBelle, the No. 5 ranked team, fell to 12-3.

Yzagurrie struck out eight of the first 10 batters she faced while Davison drove in the game's first run with an RBI single to score Davie in the second inning. ECS started to pull away with three runs in the third. Payton Billie doubled, stole third, and scored on a bad throw trying to get her out. Sam Yzaguirre doubled and after reaching third, scored on a suicide squeeze by Davie, who then reached third on an errant throw to first trying to throw her out. A Davison single drove in Davie.

The Sentinels pulled away in the fifth with four runs on a Karsyn Mootz sacrifice bunt, Billie scoring on the back end of a double steal, an RBI hit by Davison, and a bases-loaded walk by Angeline Yzaguirre.

THURSDAY

Baseball

Bishop Verot 19, Manatee 3 (six innings)

Port Charlotte 3, Island Coast 2

West Broward 6, Canterbury 3

Loyola Academy (Ill.) 7, Riverdale 5

Barron Collier 7, Golden Gate 1

Estero 5, Lemon Bay 0

Evangelical Christian 11, Northridge (Ill.) 0

Evangelical Chirstian 10, First Baptist 3

LaBelle 7, Lake Placid 2

Mariner 5, Ida Baker 1

Palmetto Ridge 3, Immokalee 1

IMG Gold 5, North Fort Myers 1

Cape Coral 14, Gateway 4

Lely 6, Aubrey Rogers 5

Softball

Bishop Verot 15, Bonita Springs 4

Charlotte 6, Riverdale 0

Naples 6, Palmetto Ridge 2

Barron Collier 12, Immokalee 1

Mariner 15, Ida Baker 9

Cape Coral 12, Gateway 2

Golden Gate 15, Lely 0

Dunbar 29, South Fort Myers 14

Oasis 14, Lehigh 0

Boys Lacrosse

Community School 13, Boca Raton 8

Estero 11, Fort Myers 6

Aubrey Rogers 16, Marco Island 8

Girls Lacrosse

Gulf Coast 13, Naples 4: The Sharks repeated as CCAC champions with a decisive win over the Golden Eagles.

Barron Collier 20, Aubrey Rogers 4

WEDNESDAY

Baseball

Venice 7, St. John Neumann 5: With the number of unwritten rules in baseball, it’s safe to say another one can be added to the catalog: Don’t give Nate Winterhalter the chance to pitch with the lead.

The Venice reliever did just enough to keep St. John Neumann off balance, allowing just one earned run over the final four frames to give the Indians a 7-5 road win in a battle of two teams ranked inside the top five statewide by MaxPreps.

“What a great game, I think we were ranked No. 2 and No. 3, and we knew it was going to be a battle,” Venice coach Craig Faulkner said. “Squeeze Maurer is a great coach, has a bunch of great coaches. He’s got a great team over there. We battled, and we ended up on top, but it could’ve gone either way. It’s nice to be on top. I expect them to reel off a bunch of wins and be playing for a state championship.”

After Neumann starter Presley Woodson (4-1, 0.24 ERA) secured the first two outs of the first inning, the Indians took advantage of a Neumann error and a pair of wild pitches from Woodson. FGCU commit Jon Embury blooped in a single to plate Nick Dunn, giving Venice an early 1-0 lead. But it didn’t take long for the Celtics (15-3) to respond, as Ryder Woodson teed off on a full-count pitch from Jackson Lucas that went to deep left-center field to nod the game at 1-all.

Venice would break through for a pair of runs in the top half of the fourth, as Lucas walked and Garrett Houston singled, which ultimately plated Lucas’s courtesy runner after Logan Baratta was not expecting the throw to come into second from right fielder Junior Maradona. That extended the Indian lead, as Jonny Mauro singled and Carter Cox grounded into a fielder’s choice to take a short-lived 3-1 lead.

Once Neumann pressured with a pair of runners on in the bottom half of the fourth, Lucas’s night was finished and Winterhalter entered. Jason Neal slapped an RBI single in the hole on the right side before Lucas, who moved to first, spiked a ball that ultimately went into right field with the bases juiced, leading to Neumann taking a 4-3 lead heading into the fifth.

“That doesn’t happen too often,” Faulkner told Maurer with a smile as he headed to the third base coaches box in the fifth.

The sixth inning saw Venice nearly take the lead, as they forced Owen Phypers (2-0, 0.82 ERA) out of the game with the bases loaded and two outs. Charley Bergsma entered against David Dubrule, who chased a breaking ball on the ninth pitch of the at-bat for a dropped third strike.

Bergsma (3-1, 2.57 ERA) would try and close the game out in the seventh, but was unable as Dunn, Embury, and Lucas all attacked the lefty early in counts. Dunn singled before Embury put a ball down the right field line for a double. In the ensuing at-bat, Lucas made up for his mistake at first with single that plated both Dunn and Embury on an error in left field. With Venice owning a 5-4 lead threatening to tack on more, that’s when Bergsma’s night ended.

Those Neumann miscues would prove to be costly, as the Indians capitalized on each Neumann error. It ultimately resulted in four runs that might’ve been off the board in a cleaner defensive game.

“I think it’s two things: it’s two juggernauts just throwing haymakers at each other down to the last out,” Maurer said. “Nobody was going to quit. You have two staffs that know each other really well, players that know each other really well. It’s fun in the moment to be a part of. As far as we go, we made a million mistakes which is not the brand of baseball we like to play. Like I told the guys, we made more mistakes tonight than we did the whole year combined. It was just bad baseball. When you do that, you don’t deserve to win against a good team. On the other note, I’m super proud of them because they didn’t quit. They kept throwing punches, they kept throwing punches, they kept throwing punches.

“Venice is obviously coached very well, and they’re a very good baseball team. I wish I could play 25 of those games. That gets you better. We’ve got to get better. We were playing well, but it’s just like the playoffs. You can win five or six in a row, but if you play bad baseball in one game, you’re done. We’ve got to be able to hyperfocus when the moment gets big, and live one pitch at a time and control our emotions a little bit better.”

Dunn and Embury both finished with two hits for the Indians, while Mauro finished with three in the No. 7 spot in the order. Neumann’s bottom third of the order of Jason Neal, Lind, and Dylan Mullan went 3-for-7, which was a bright spot despite the loss. As a team, Neumann hit 6-for-24 while Venice was 11-for-32.

“We’ve got a lot of different ways to win,” Faulkner said. “It’s somebody new every time. Senioring up, Jon had a few big hits there. Nick Dunn helped us score some runs. Jonny Mauro, a freshman, three hits tonight which was huge for us. Pretty good stuff. It’s always somebody different every night… It was great to see our guys battle back and win that game.”

In the bottom of the seventh, Neumann managed to roll over to the top of the order as Lind and Mullan singled off Winterhalter. Woodson nearly clubbed his second home run of the game, but just missed it and got too under it for a high fly to left field. The Celtics would get a run after Alex Kuenzle was hit by a pitch, leaving Maradona to try and tie the game. He lasered a ball into short right field, but a sliding catch from Brodie Whitlock kept Venice’s winning streak alive, now at 15 games.

Winterhalter (6-0) has played a big role in Venice’s success, leading the team with six wins while pitching to a 0.89 ERA. He’s also added a pair of saves this season, allowing just three earned runs in his nine outings so far this year as a relief pitcher.

“He gets it done every time,” Faulkner said. “Tonight, he was tired. There was no doubt he was tired in that last inning. There were some questions to keep going with him or not. I decided to go with him because he’s a senior and he’s gotten it done for us every time. Until that changes, he’s in there.”

Venice hopes to continue their hot stretch on Friday against Charlotte, while Neumann looks to get right before a daunting stretch that includes Jesuit, IMG’s National team, Stoneman Douglas, and Archbishop McCarthy.

“I think we’re a very mentally tough team,” Maurer said. “If we would’ve laid down after we gave up the big seventh inning, I would be more concerned. I love how we competed every pitch in the bottom of the seventh and gave ourselves a chance to win at the end. With the schedule coming up, that’s what I told the guys. Our job is always to get right at the end. That’s why we backloaded the schedule the way we do. After 25 games, everyone is 0-0. We’ve got to get ourselves right for that.”

— Alex Martin

Island Coast 5, Fort Myers 4: The Gators rebounded and edged out the Green Wave, giving coach Clint Montgomery his 250th career win.

Loyola Academy (Ill.) 10, Community School 4

LaBelle 8, Clewiston 3

Marco Island 8, Northridge (Ill.) 7

SOFTBALL

Estero 5, Fort Myers 3

LaBelle 16, Island Coast 0

Cypress Lake 9, Bonita Springs 6

Everglades City 20, Mason Classical 5

Boys Lacrosse

Immokalee 14, Palmetto Ridge 2

Girls Lacrosse

Community School 15, Stoneman Douglas 7

Fort Myers 17, Cypress Lake 1

Riverdale 9, Marco Island 8

Lely 19, Palmetto Ridge 8

TUESDAY

Baseball

Gulf Coast 4, Canterbury 3: After Gulf Coast coach Pete Garcia was honored with a plaque commemorating his 300th career win before the game, Shark players were adamant and vocal about wanting to get win No. 301 for their coach against Canterbury, led by a longtime coach of their own in Frank Turco.

They did that Tuesday night.

The Sharks (10-5) grabbed their second walk-off win in the past week, defeating the Cougars 4-3 thanks to a successful suicide squeeze attempt from pinch-hitter Robert Hyatt.

“When you play a Frank Turco team, you expect it to be a good game,” Garcia said. “We knew it was going to be close regardless of them losing their last two. He’s a great coach. Telling the kids, telling Evan (Garcia), keep us in the game, keep us in the game. That was the big thing. If we stayed within one, we were going to be OK and make things happen.”

And that the Sharks did. It started in the bottom of the first, when Vincent Mattei led off with a single before Michael Peterson drove him in with a bloop RBI single. Canterbury drew first blood in the top half, when Brayden Habuda notched an RBI single after Miami commit Evan Taveras led off the game with a hard hit up the middle.

After a wild pitch from Canterbury freshman Ashby Piatt (0-0, 3.50 ERA) gave Gulf Coast a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second, Taveras took matters into his own hands, sending a shot into deep left for a go-ahead two-run home run which gave Canterbury a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth.

Piatt showed potential for Canterbury moving forward as a freshman, going four innings. He allowed one hit, two earned runs, and five walks while striking out four in his varsity debut.

“We threw a lot of guys when we went to the other coast last week, and we didn’t really have a lot of options left,” Turco said. “I wanted to give Ashby a chance. He’s crafty, he knows how to pitch. He’s got a good changeup and good pitch ability. He did well for us, but couldn’t get comfortable on the mound. He still competed.”

Garcia (2-3, 3.54 ERA) generated a lot of whiffs for the Sharks, going 5 2/3 innings while scattering seven hits and three earned runs. He struck out a career-high 11 on the night. Colton Schlief (2-0, 5.11 ERA) earned the win in relief, going 1 1/3 innings, allowing no baserunners while striking out one.

“He’s sporadic, still working on some things,” Garcia said of Evan. “It’s his first year playing and pitching at the varsity level, it’s probably a big step for him. Pitching-wise, I thought he did OK. He kept us in the game. The changeup, breaking ball, it was good.”

In the bottom of the sixth, Peyton Hale managed to grab a two-out single off of Roan Hoefling, before Hoefling balked which sent Hale to second. With the top of the lineup hungry, Mattei made a big hustle play, forcing an slightly errant throw from Habuda that forced Anthony Meady off the bag, which ultimately plated Hale to tie the game at 3-all.

“We’re kinda snakebit,” Turco said. “… We’re just not very competitive at the plate. We swung at a lot of balls. We’ll keep trying and keep plugging along. We’re not getting the breaks we need, and we’re not creating the breaks that we need.”

After Jackson Geiger led off the bottom of the seventh with a hit by pitch, Taveras appeared to have thrown out the USF commit trying to steal second by a hair, but was called safe. After Peterson grounded out and Cooper Holman was intentionally walked, Garcia went to Hyatt off the bench for a pinch-hit opportunity, delivering a perfect suicide squeeze to give the Sharks momentum headed into a pivotal CCAC title game rematch against Naples (13-3).

“He told me when I went over there if it’s not there first pitch, take it,” Hyatt said. “The second pitch was the squeeze. I had to get it down because Jackson was coming home. I had to get it down.”

Canterbury (9-6) will look to rebound and snap a three-game skid on Thursday against West Broward, a team currently ranked fifth in the state by the FHSAA. The Cougars have gone on a three-game losing streak twice in Turco’s 10 years leading the program, and a four-game skid just once.

“I’m reaching, throwing darts at the board,” Turco said. “Just trying to figure some things out. Some guys are needed for defense, some guys are needed for offense. I’m putting guys out there for the offense and it’s not helping the defense. Whatever way I’m picking is not really working.

“The kids are working hard though. They’re trying. When you get in that box, it’s you and the pitcher. You have to have some want to. Striking out 12 times, that’s not us. We swung at 11 balls in the last three innings.”

— Alex Martin

SFCA 3, South Fort Myers 1: Cole Ingole pitched a complete game for SFCA, and gave up just two hits and one run while tallying 15 strikeouts.

Riverdale 2, Mariner 1: Xavier Muentes hit a walk-off single that brought PJ Marino home for the Raiders. Jacob Gorra got the win on the mound, giving up just two hits and no runs through the final two innings. Sam Guth led Riverdale at the plate, and finished 2-for-3 with two doubles. Marino went 2-for-4 with a double, while Kelan Jamison finished 2-for-3.

Bonita Springs 9, Island Coast 8

Loyola Academy (Ill.) 8, Naples 6

Estero 4, Gateway Charter 1

Oasis 5, Evangelical Christian 4

Community School 6, North Fort Myers 4

Barron Collier 4, North Port 3

Lehigh 9, Ida Baker 8

Fort Myers 13, East Lee County 0

Cape Coral 15, Gateway 5

Immokalee 21, Mason Classical 3

Northridge (Ill.) 8, Golden Gate 2

Softball

Gulf Coast 10, Palmetto Ridge 9 (eight innings): Gulf Coast saw Sophia Pasquarello, Hannah Rearden, and Jazmin Colosimo combine for six hits with 5 RBI, to help pitcher Taylor Stalling cap off a complete game. Melissa Hyatt delivered the walk-off hit in the bottom of the eighth, driving in Sammy Fulcher.

Fort Myers 8, Barron Collier 5: The Green Wave erupted for six runs in the top of the seventh inning to improve to 9-0 on the year. Kat Coakley went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Tori Fulcher drove in two runs. Alexa Bent got the win in the circle.

Evangelical Christian 16, Port Charlotte 1

LaBelle 10, Sebring 2

Bishop Verot 7, Charlotte 1

Riverdale 10, Mariner 1

Naples 16, Bonita Springs 6

Immokalee 20, Clewiston 2

North Fort Myers 17, Cypress Lake 2

Oasis 20, East Lee County 1

Cape Coral 9, Gateway 6

Boys Lacrosse

Naples 13, Marco Island 3

Estero 17, Aubrey Rogers 13

Girls Lacrosse

Naples 15, Bishop Verot 4: Piper Kelleher had two goals and four ground balls for the Vikings, while Lily Lockard had one goal, two assists, three draw controls, and two ground balls in the loss. Sophia Piña and Kendall Sullivan forced two turnovers each for Bishop Verot.

American Heritage 10, Barron Collier 9

Estero 9, Aubrey Rogers 7

Gateway 16, Immokalee 0

MONDAY

Baseball

Golden Gate 16, Dunbar 0 (four innings)

LaBelle 3, Avon Park 2

Palmetto Ridge 5, Aubrey Rogers 4

Lely 14, Naples Classical 2 (five innings)

Bishop Verot 9, Cardinal Mooney 4

Softball

Golden Gate 23, Dunbar 6 (three innings)

Boys Lacrosse

Community School 14, Barron Collier 3

Aubrey Rogers 15, Palmetto Ridge 1

Girls Lacrosse

Gulf Coast 15, Bishop Verot 4: Daphne O'Hara scored two goals for the Vikings, Lily Lockard finished with one goal and two assists, while Clare Murnane added one goal and one assist in the loss. Bishop Verot's Bridget Horlbeck tallied a career-high eight saves.

Sarasota Riverview 18, Naples 9

Plant 15, Community School 6