Rams, Gators play another wild one

Ridgewood and Land O'Lakes have had some of the county's closest games in recent years, and Tuesday's showdown set a new standard for late-inning intrigue.

Ridgewood entered the game undefeated in district play, but Land O'Lakes could have moved into a tie for first with a win.

Rams ace Matt Laliberte took a no-hitter into the fifth and had a 6-4 lead in the seventh when he struck out the first two Gators of the inning.

But Laliberte hit the next batter, and county batting leader Brandon Vari followed with a single. Another hit batsman loaded the bases. Trae Martin followed with a three-run triple and later scored to give the Gators an 8-6 lead.

Ridgewood (10-3) looked to be on the ropes in the bottom of the seventh despite getting a single by Monte Werner and a one-out RBI by Danny Lotz.

The Rams trailed 8-7 with two outs when designated hitter Jeremy Coolidge came to the plate. And with two strikes, Coolidge hit a two-run home run to leftfield, giving the Rams a wild victory.

"Every time we play them, the craziest things happen," said Rams coach Larry Beets, whose team opens the second half of the district season at Mitchell tonight. "We have a lot of respect for Land O'Lakes because every time, we know it's going to be that type of ballgame."

For Land O'Lakes (7-4), the loss ended a five-game win streak that moved it into the thick of the district chase. Coach Calvin Baisley said even the losses have been ridiculously close this season.

"We lost a game to Pasco 5-4, and we had three guys thrown out at home in the same inning," Baisley said. "We've been very competitive in all of our games, but we just need our defense to be more consistent."

Leading the Gators' charge has been Vari, who leads the county with 19 hits and is tied for second with 11 RBIs.

He might not be able to continue at his current .528 clip, but Baisley said he likes what he has seen from the senior.

"He's on fire, and he's just a good hitter," Baisley said. "Do I expect him to continue to hit .500? No, but I expect him to continue hitting the ball well for us."

Baisley, who had a one-run loss to Ridgewood last year and won a game in 13 innings against the Rams in 2001, said he hopes the tough loss to Ridgewood won't linger for his young team, which has a game at Wesley Chapel tonight that could be trouble if it isn't focused.

"I'm more than a little concerned about how it could affect us, coming off a game like that," Baisley said. "It all comes down to how they decide they want to handle it."

ACES INJURED: Hudson's Bryan Strawser has not pitched in 10 days since leaving a game against Pasco in the third with soreness in his pitching shoulder. He had an MRI Thursday and is out for at least a few weeks, if not the season, coach Jack Ledbetter said.

Zephyrhills could get a second helping of bad news as junior Joe Duffau left Wednesday's game against Gulf in the third with a shoulder injury. The Bulldogs already are without pitcher Jake Cimorelli, whose shoulder has kept him from pitching.

"We may have lost our No. 1 and No. 2 pitcher for the season," coach Bruce Cimorelli said.

THIS AND THAT: Zephyrhills will hold an alumni day Saturday, bringing in former Bulldogs for a reunion that starts at noon before the current team takes on Pasco at 4 p.m. at Johnny Clements Field ... How's this for sharing the load: Mitchell's seven victories this season have come from seven pitchers. Louis Oliveri picked up the win in relief Wednesday as the Mustangs bounced back from back-to-back losses with a 9-8 victory at Lecanto. Mike Reid went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs, and sophomore Derek Shaw added two hits and three RBIs. ... With left-hander Matt Prowant limited by injury to one inning on the mound, Pasco has gotten a boost from sophomore Jimmy Hancock, who is 2-0 with an 1.08 ERA in two starts. Hancock, who has 18 strikeouts in 13 innings, gives the Pirates an arm to build around next season when seniors Prowant, Matt Smith and Chris Nyman are gone.

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