The Osceola Warriors faced tough opponents throughout the 2014 season both in their district and around Pinellas and Hillsborough County.
But no game was tougher than facing off against their cross-town rival, the Seminole Warhawks on their final home game of the season.
After a sluggish start in the beginning of the game, the Warriors pulled an 8-5 victory over the Warhawks before going into districts.
For Warrior Head Coach Stefan Futch, the game contains a rivalry that is not harsh, but rather fun. It is this fun game that the players wait for all season to play.
“It’s not a nasty rivalry but rather an intense rivalry,” said Futch. “It’s a rivalry in the tense that you want to win cause its bragging rights. Both these schools are very close in proximity and a lot of these guys grew up together and when they get to high school they tend to branch off.”
For Osceola standout pitcher Keith Weisenberg, who played first base instead of on the mound, it is the school’s competitive nature at these games that makes things very interesting.
“I feel this game brings out everyone’s competitive nature,” said Weisenberg. “Its definitely a different caliber of game. We know every time we play them they are going to give their best and they know that we are going to give ours.”
The starting pitchers for the game were Buddy Doughtery for Osceola and Austin Lamoureux for Seminole.
The Warhawks would get off to a strong start in the first inning. After left fielder Ethan Roberts walked and right fielder Jacob Silverstein was hit by a pitch, second baseman Chris Berry would deliver a huge triple to center field bringing in both of them for the first runs of the game. Seminole would start the game off right at 2-0.
They would hold off the Warriors until the top of the third inning. After a double to left field by third baseman A.J. Riveria and a single by left fielder Joey Coca, the Warriors would get two runs in. They would get Coca in for a run in the fifth inning. The Warriors would now lead 3-2 over their rivals
but the way the Warhawks have played all season, there is always a time for them to make a comeback.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, they would bring in two runs after a huge double to center field by catcher Doug Borgh bringing in Roberts and Silverstein once again. They would get the lead back at 4-3.
But the celebration would not last long. After a shallow single by Weisenberg and walking Doughtery, pitcher Joey Favetta would be pulled from the mound bringing in Kyle Frickman to try and close the game and hold the lead.
With bases loaded and two outs, a single by center fielder Abbi Jimenez would bring in the Garrett Cook. This would follow by a double to left field by short stop Jaret Helinger bringing in by Luke Hains, Riviera, and Jimenez. Catcher Mike Kleinman would bring in Helinger and the Warriors would now have a solid 8-4 lead over the Warhawks.
Although Seminole would score one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning by Favetta, it would not be enough to make a comeback. The Warhawks would send in Logan Lipsch to close out the remainder of the game.
Dougherty would finish it out through the final inning making it another win for the Warriors. But for now, their next focus will be the impending PCAC challenge where they will face off against the East Lake Eagles.
“I give Seminole credit they were up for the challenge tonight, said Futch. “They started early and we had to battle back a lot for the rest of the night. The PCAC is definitely a goal for us this year. Before 2011, it has been 20 years since South County had won it. If we want to succeed in keep it here, we need to stay aggressive and get those clutch hits when they really matter.”
Before they face East Lake, the Osceola Warriors (18-4) face off against the Palm Harbor University Hurricanes (10-12) on April 16. The Seminole Warhawks (12-13) face off in Districts at Countryside High School.