Advertisement

Sarasota 15s gain a measure of revenge against Okeeheelee

jim brockman
·4 min read

SARASOTA — The 15-Under All-Star team from Sarasota spent a long weekend punishing opponents both at the plate and on the mound at the Florida Babe Ruth South State Tournament.

It ended with another mercy-rule victory and the championship trophy in hand Sunday, as Sarasota eased past Okeeheelee,10-0, in a game stopped in the bottom of the fifth inning because of the 10-run mercy rule at the Sarasota BRL field.

Sarasota’s All-Stars outscored their four foes by the majestic margin of 51-3. It started with a 15-0 win over East Orange on the first day of the tournament.

Dylan McDonald of the Sarasota U15 All-Stars connects for a hit against the Okeeheelee All-Stars on Sunday, July 17, 2002, in the South Florida State Championship game at the Sarasota BRL field.
Dylan McDonald of the Sarasota U15 All-Stars connects for a hit against the Okeeheelee All-Stars on Sunday, July 17, 2002, in the South Florida State Championship game at the Sarasota BRL field.

The title was particularly sweet for Sarasota, which was knocked out of last year’s 14-U state tournament at Babe Ruth Park by Okeeheelee in 10 innings. The rosters for both teams were essentially the same as the two ballclubs met again one year later.

“We have a little bit of a love-hate relationship with Okeeheelee,” veteran Sarasota manager Garth Lisman said. “They really are a great program. They really are.

“They plays us tough. And anybody who beats Sarasota is on the list for us the next year.”

Sarasota erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, sending nine batters to the plate to end the contest. A two-run triple by Dylan McDonald and a two-run single by Wyatt Wosniak were were the key hits in the inning.

Michael Cantalamessa of the Sarasota U15 All-Stars celebrates after reaching second base against the Okeeheelee All-Stars on Sunday, July 17, 2002, in the South Florida State Championship game at the Sarasota BRL field.
Michael Cantalamessa of the Sarasota U15 All-Stars celebrates after reaching second base against the Okeeheelee All-Stars on Sunday, July 17, 2002, in the South Florida State Championship game at the Sarasota BRL field.

An RBI single by Michael Cantalamessa sent shortstop Ricky Morales home for the 10th and final run of the game. In addition, Anthony Mejias doubled and Ayden Shkorupa singled in the fifth.

Cantalamessa also doubled home a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning and scored on an error.

Jackson Bradley was in total command on the bump for Sarasota. The big right-hander fanned five batters and allowed two hits. Bradley also aided his own cause with a leadoff triple in the decisive fifth inning.

The next stop for Sarasota is Williamsburg, Virginia, and the U.S. Southeast Regional Tournament, slated to begin July 26. Williamsburg is also where the 15-U Babe Ruth World Series will be held in August.

Jackson Bradley of the Sarasota U15 All-Stars delivers a pitch against the Okeeheelee All-Stars on Sunday, July 17, 2002, in the South Florida State Championship game at the Sarasota BRL field.
Jackson Bradley of the Sarasota U15 All-Stars delivers a pitch against the Okeeheelee All-Stars on Sunday, July 17, 2002, in the South Florida State Championship game at the Sarasota BRL field.

“This is a special team,” Lisman said. “Like I said last year, this team is phenomenal. They are just a pleasure to coach. It was just a perfect storm this year. We just came ready. We were focused. Now we are on our way to Virginia and just really fired up about it.”

Sarasota also beat Buckingham, 10-2, and Leesburg, 16-1, en route to winning the championship.

14-Under

Sarasota’s All-Stars lost their opener Thursday to Key West, 7-3, and were unable to reach the 14-U Championship Game.

Key West, the only team to defeat Sarasota, went undefeated and won the title with a 9-3 victory over Winter Park.

After losing to Key West, Sarasota bounced back with a 16-0 victory over Phipps Park and a 9-8 win over Bartow. Sarasota rallied from an 8-3 deficit to top Bartow.

“We started off on the wrong foot,” Sarasota manager Michael Marquez said. “We faced a good ballclub in Key West. They came out and executed and we didn’t. As the tournament went along, we had guys step up.”

13-Under

Sarasota’s All-Stars entered the title game with an unblemished 3-0 record, including an 11-5 triumph over Altamonte Springs. However, Altamonte Springs came back to beat Sarasota twice Sunday to claim the 13-U championship.

Altamonte Springs won the first game Sunday, 3-1, and took the championship game, 9-2.

But the news wasn’t all bad for Sarasota. The 13-U team will advance to the region tournament as a state runner-up later this month.

As host of the region tournament, Altamonte Springs gets an automatic bid, allowing Sarasota to also advance.

Sarasota also defeated East Lake, 4-0, and Lutz, 5-4, earlier in the tournament.

Little League sectionals

The Venice Little League Baseball (10-12-year-olds) advanced to the Florida State Tournament with a pair of wins over the weekend at the Lehigh Acres Little League.

Venice defeated the Stars, 3-0, in the first game of the three-team Section 6 tournament. and then crushed Golden Gate American, 11-0, to finish 2-0.

Advancing to Pool A, Venice will play its first game in pool play at 3 p.m. Friday at Helen S. Howarth Community Park in Pinellas Park.

Buffalo Creek LL lost both of its games in Section 4. Buffalo Creek fell 12-0 to Northeast and 12-0 to section champion Dade City in four innings at Pinellas Park National Little League.

Deputy sports editor Dennis Maffezzoli contributed to this report

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota 15s gain a measure of revenge against Okeeheelee