Pirates Unleash Offense Against Streaks

A mercy-rule home defeat to the top team in the district left Sebring baseball coach Hoppy Rewis in an oddly chipper mood on Friday night following Braden River's 13-3 victory over Sebring at Firemen's Field.

Rewis, a long-time coach with two runs to the state tournament the past two seasons, cracked a smile as he sarcastically listed the possible reasons behind his young team's slow start against Class 4A-District 10's only undefeated team.

"FCAT week is always tough, but Braden River had it, too," Rewis grinned. "Time change, FCAT, full moon, whatever, it was pretty tough."

Um, coach - you forgot Friday the 13th.

Whatever the reason, things were scary from the start for Sebring, which surrendered six runs in the first inning and never recovered against crafty Braden River lefthander Marc Monroe, who struck out nine and held the Blue Streaks to four hits and two walks.

Pirates Stephen Fischer and Tyler King did most of Braden River's damage, going a combined 6-for-8 at the plate with three runs and three RBI each.

"They're the best team in our district," Rewis said. "But I thought they'd be better. Their lead-off hitter is their ace, and he was out with a sore elbow, so that might have hurt them a little bit."

Sebring junior Cody Hoffner, who led the Streaks at the plate with two hits, a sacrifice fly and two RBI, said Monroe had plenty of movement on his pitches.

"He was changing things up a bit, and he threw at some different angles so it was kind of hard to see sometimes," Hoffner said. "I was just trying to sit back on his fastball and try to lay off the junk."

Braden River coach Ryan Hilton said the strong start was big for his team, not only because they were on the road, but because it allowed Monroe to work without, as he put it: "having to be too fine."

"When Marc can get his curveball over, he's tough on most guys," Hilton said. "He was a little up-and-down, but he's been through these games since he was a freshman, so he knows when he doesn't have his stuff he can battle through and make the pitches he needs."

Sophomore Jesse Baker got the best of the southpaw in his first at-at when he slammed an opposite-field solo home run in the second inning.

"He had a nice rhythm to him," Baker said. "It was fastball, curveball, fastball, and I knew what was coming. I just waited on something in my zone and went with it."

The Pirates scored the first six batters they sent to the plate on three walks, three hits and two Sebring errors. The Streaks got on the board in the second with Baker's solo shot and scored again on a Hoffner sacrifice fly that scored Josh Acevedo. After falling down 11-2, Hoffner picked up his second RBI on a single to center that scored Kevin Welborn. But the Pirates put the game out of reach when King knocked an RBI double and scored on an error in the sixth.

"It's a big win for us," Hilton said, noting the victory was especially key for the Pirates who hope to end their district season with a win when Firemen's Field hosts the 4A-10 tournament next month. "We won't be back here until then, and we can always draw back on, hey, last time we were here, we were stroking the ball and playing good. That can't be a negative."

Hoffner said the Streaks are looking forward to their next meeting with the Pirates.

"I don't feel like they're 10 runs better than us," he said. "I think we can play a lot better. We'll see them down the road and I think we'll be a better team and give them more of a run."

Sebring is back in action on Tuesday, when they host arch-rival Avon Park in district action.