PREP ROUNDUP: Quick start lifts Venice over Lemon Bay at CoolToday Park
NORTH PORT — The big crowd and bright lights were not too big or bright for the Venice High baseball team.
Venice scored four runs in the first inning and rolled to an 8-1 victory over Lemon Bay High in the Third Annual Mizuno High School Invitational in front of 1,446 fans Friday evening at CoolToday Park, spring training home of the World Champion Atlanta Braves.
John Whitney paved the way for Venice, both on the mound and offensively.
“I love the showout,” Whitney said. “It gives me confidence.”
The senior left-hander pitched a 1-2-3 first and then singled out of the leadoff spot – one of his three hits – in the bottom of the inning.
That led to a four-run inning for Venice.
Nick Dunn walked to force in a run. Trent Adrian singled in another run. The other two runs crossed on wild pitches.
“The first inning really killed us,” Manta Rays assistant coach Brendan Cutting said. “We didn’t have the energy after that. As a team it’s hard to come back from something like that. If that first inning didn’t happen, we would have a little bit of a closer game.”
Venice (9-9) scored single runs in the third and fourth innings. Dunn tripled and crossed on an Adrian sacrifice fly in the third. Whitney had a three-bagger and scored on a hit by Jon Embury in the fourth.
Venice closed the scoring with two runs in the sixth, highlighted by a run-scoring single by Marek Houston and a passed ball.
For Venice, it was its sixth victory in the past seven games following a seven-game losing streak earlier.
“For the team, I like where we are headed,” Venice coach Craig Faulkner said. “We stumbled a little bit early. A lot of guys have changed their game a little bit. It’s nice.”
After squandering an opportunity in the third inning, Lemon Bay (10-6) got its lone run in the fourth. Colin Gamber singled and gave way to pinch-runner Jake Patrick, who eventually scored on a two-out hit by Mason Boltinghouse.
“The stage maybe got to them, a little bit of nerves,” Cutting said of his team. “The game is played the same way. The lights are a little brighter and there were more people in the stands. We need to be prepared for that. Venice they’re used to playing in the state championship and the regionals, so maybe to them it wasn’t anything new.”
Venice moved to 3-0 in games played at CoolToday Park, defeating Sarasota, 9-1, last year and North Port, 8-2, in 2019.
“It is so awesome the community came out tonight,” Faulkner said. “There were a lot of people here for a high school baseball game. To play in a facility like this, I have to take my hat off to the Braves. They are such gracious hosts. They allowed us to come and play here. It’s pretty neat they did that.”
Lemon Bay has a game Monday at home against Ida Baker. Venice returns to action Tuesday at Calvary Christian in Clearwater.
Lemon Bay takeaways
• Down 4-0 in the third, the Manta Rays placed their first two runners on base when Brady Ham doubled and Jacob Connor walked. Venice reliever Douglas Schapley retired the next three batters. “We just needed to do a job and it comes with stringing hits together,” Cutting said.
• Abel Albarran opened on the mound for Lemon Bay and worked the first four innings. The junior right-hander allowed seven hits and six runs, five earned, but was victimized by three errors behind him.
• Ham made a diving catch in left field on a sinking liner off the bat of Trent Adrian in the third inning. The play resulted in a sacrifice fly for Venice’s fifth run. After missing a foul pop, third baseman Joel Vasquez went to the edge of the Manta Rays’ dugout to snare a foul infield popup.
Venice takeaways
• Venice placed the leadoff hitter on in the first four innings, and they all came around to score. “Huge,” Faulkner said. “Jon Embury got a bunt down. Whitney can steal. Marek could steal. We have a lot of options when they get on. Guys are rising up right when we need them. I like what they are doing right now.”
• In the stolen base department, Venice stole four bases, one by Whitney, one by Houston and two by pinch-runner Jeffrey Fulcher.
• Faulkner used five pitchers with Simon Yochum, Huston Wynne and Blake Bennett behind Whitney and Schapley. Whitney, who prefers starting over closing, pitched a perfect two innings, throwing fastballs and one curveball. He struck out five. The five Venice pitchers fanned 11 with Wynne striking out three in 1 ⅓ innings. “We’ve always wanted Whitney to start,” Faulkner said after using him as a closer earlier in the season. “There’s more runs scored in the first inning than all the other innings combined in baseball. So I feel like he’s our best guy. The plan was Whitney for two and Schapley for two and go from there. This is something we may do going forward. We’ve been pitching pretty good.”
Cardinal Mooney 8, North Port 4
AT: CoolToday Park, North Port
TOP PLAYERS: CM, Alex SantaMaria (2-4, 2 runs, RBI), Paddy Hebda (3-4, 3B, 2 RBI, run), Pedro Cidral (2-4, run), Drew Marra (2-3, 2 RBI); NP, Brayden Kelly (3-4, run), Josh Doerrfeld (2-4)
PITCHING: CM, Brandon Sessa (3 IP, 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned, 2 walks, 4 Ks), Drew Sessa (2 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 K).
Jesuit 9, Sarasota 2
AT: Sarasota High
TOP PLAYER: S, Lance Trippel (1-3, RBI)
Southeast 9, Bayshore 2
AT: Bayshore High
TOP PLAYERS: SE, Jacob Mruk (2-5, 2 runs), Josiah Williams (2-3, run, RBI), Keyan Thorhe (2-3, 2 runs, RBI), Austin Hoy (2-4, run), Micah Suagdis (2-4 RBI)
PITCHING: SE, Jacob Mruk (6 2.3 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, 3 walks, 11 Ks)
BOYS LACROSSE
Venice 6, Manatee 5
AT: Manatee
TOP PLAYERS: V, Jack Clarkson (3 goals, assist), John Ptaszek (goal, 2 assists), Nate Rockwood (goal, assist)
GOALIE: V, Caleb Hess (11 saves)
RECORD: Venice (4-7)
GIRLS LACROSSE
Saint Stephen's 17 Tampa Catholic 3
TOP PLAYERS: SS, Sienna Cassella (4 goals, assist, 5 draw controls, 4 caused turnovers), Bella Rosa (3 goals, 2 assists), Ashling Marshall (4 goals 7 draw controls)
OF NOTE: Bella Rosa scored her 100th career goal.
Dennis Maffezzoli is the deputy sports editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and chief reporter for Sarasota Herald-Tribune and HTpreps covering Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: PREP ROUNDUP: Quick start lifts Venice over Lemon Bay at CoolToday Park
