By Jeff Odom
There were no hung heads following the Wiregrass Ranch baseball team’s 6-0 loss against Venice in the Class 7A region finals May 10.
The Bulls (20-10) were overmatched in nearly every facet of their meeting with the defending 7A state champs, but coach Jeff Swymer was happy with the way his players battled throughout the first postseason run in the program’s six-year history.
“I am exceptionally proud of what our young team accomplished,” Swymer said. “You can definitely tell walking in here why they have two (state championship) flags hanging underneath that American flag (in the outfield). They’re well-coached, well-organized, and guys do things and play the right way. … When you come here, you better play your best ball.”
The host Indians (27-3), who are nationally ranked by both MaxPreps and Baseball America, put their foot on the gas pedal from the very first pitch and never let up.
Led by starter Tyson Albert, the Venice pitching staff kept the Bulls’ bats quiet all night. Albert gave up no hits and struck out seven Wiregrass batters in 4.1 innings.
The Bulls didn’t record their first hit until Austin Drury knocked a blooper into left field off reliever Tyler Shambora to lead off the sixth.
“They just kept coming, didn’t they?” Swymer said with a laugh. “I wish I had that. They had a dugout that looked like 65 guys, and I’m scrounging together 14 or 15. … That’s what we want our program to be in a couple of years.”
Offensively, the Indians were just as dominant.
They got things going in the first when Mike Rivera doubled to right field to drive in Dalton Guthrie from third to make it 1-0, a lead they would not relinquish.
Venice added two more runs in the third, one in the fourth and another pair in the sixth to pull away.
In the region semifinals, Wiregrass Ranch starting pitcher Zach Drury tossed a complete game shutout as the Bulls stunned host Steinbrenner 4-0 May 7.
The Warriors (24-3), who came into the contest ranked No. 16 in the nation by MaxPreps, had outscored Wiregrass 20-1 in three previous meetings this season. But Swymer said his guys weren’t about to roll over in Game 4.
“We put in a lot of work (in practice) to really, really make some adjustments at the plate that I saw them doing to us,” Swymer said. “And the kids, I told them, the first three games they had their opportunities to do it the way they wanted to. This was my opportunity to do it the way I asked them to.”
That decision by Swymer paid off in dividends.
Wiregrass Ranch went blow for blow with Steinbrenner as both teams traded scoring chances in the first four innings. The Bulls, however, struck first as they scored two runs in the fifth.
Chris Parra reached on an infield error to open the frame and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Austin Drury. Campoamor broke the scoreless tie with a double off Warriors ace Gideon Dunn to score Parra, and Shane Bucenell followed suit with an RBI single to right, which plated Campoamor.
That’s all the support Zach would need as he mowed down the Warriors’ lineup, which left nine runners on base including the bases loaded in the sixth.
“The biggest game of my life for sure, and it’s awesome,” said Zach, who gave up just three hits and struck out five in the victory.
The Bulls added another run in the sixth when Austin scored Parra on a sacrifice fly to right and then one more in the seventh from Ryan Girard to secure the win.
“You’ve got to give Zach Drury credit; he was awesome tonight,” said Steinbrenner coach John Crumbley. “We had beaten him twice, and he came out with a desire, and they made plays for him. … We didn’t take enough (quality swings), and that’s a tribute to him.”
