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Highlands Today

Okeechobee Quiets AP's Offense

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By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: June 30, 2008

OKEECHOBEE –– Steven Flowers always plays with plenty of emotion. It's what fuels his game, and most of the time, it fuels his teammates as well.

The fuel tank was near empty when Flowers walked off the field after the Avon Park All-Stars fell 13-2 in a five-inning, mercy-rule game to the Okeechobee All-Stars in the Dixie 13-year-old boys District 8 tournament at the Okeechobee Sports Complex on Saturday.

"This is not how I know we can play," Flowers said. "I'm not happy with the way I played or the outcome. I know we can play a lot better baseball than that."

The opening day jitters may have been to blame, as the Avon Park squad looked to be off their game, especially at the plate, where they managed just four hits against Okeechobee's Alex Estremera.

"We had plenty of chances to make things happen," Flowers said. "But we couldn't capitalize on any of their mistakes."

Okeechobee, which was facing elimination after losing to the Sebring All-Stars on Friday evening 1-0, used a seven-run fifth inning outburst to put the game out of reach.

Already nursing a five-run lead, Okeechobee's Tyler Barber, who pitched a great game against Sebring, batted twice in the inning and recorded two base hits with a run and an RBI.

Richard Donegan doubled into right-centerfield to score two runs, and Okeechobee's offensive machine pumped out run after run until the score read 13-1 with the home team in the lead.

Avon Park head coach Jeff Brock couldn't put his finger on what transpired against Okeechobee, only saying this game was "way out of character" for his squad.

"This isn't the same team that I know," Brock said. "The team that I know would've found a way to win. It could've been the jitters or the layoff, but whatever it is, we have one day to get it working again."

It wasn't that Avon Park wasn't in the position to score: They stranded eight runners on base and loaded the bases twice in the game and had only one run to show for it.

"You can't win ball games if you don't bring your runners home," Brock said. "It's that simple, and we didn't get it done."

Estremera pitched a complete game and did have a nasty curve in his arsenal, and Avon Park's MJ Rhoden gave praise to his opponent's out pitch.

"[Estremera] made us really impatient with his curve," Rhoden said. "He'd throw you 2-3 curves and then throw a very deceptive fastball that looked like a curve to get us out.

"Avon Park just lost focus today, and we have to get it back in a hurry."

Avon Park faced Sebring on Sunday in an elimination game for AP — a notion Brock says his team better come to grips with.

"It's win or go home," Brock said.

Avon Park loaded the bases in the first after Jarviel Hart and Flowers were hit by a pitch and Colton Brock drew a two out walk, but Estremera rang up a strike out to end the inning.

After scoring a run in the second and sending AP down in order, Okeechobee drew three walks to load the bases with one out in the third. Barber pelted a single into center on a hit-and-run play that plated two runs.

Avon Park racked up back-to-back balks to send a runner from first to third and another balk scored the run, while Okeechobee scored two additional runs on passed balls for a 6-0 advantage.

Rhoden scored the first run after drawing a walk in the fourth, stealing second and third and coming home on an attempted steal by Mason Jahna. Estremera struck out the final two AP batters of the inning to quiet the pro-Avon Park crowd.

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