Santiago and Denmark solid on the mound for Zephyrhills
Zephyrhills scored three runs in the top of the first and the pitching staff made it stand up as the Bulldogs edged rival Pasco 3-2 Friday night in Dade City.
Junior pitcher Mark Santiago picked up the win tossing five innings allowing two earned runs and Freshman Mason Denmark pitched brilliantly in relief for the save. The two combined for 13 strikeouts.
Coming off Spring Break and a rainout earlier this week, this was the first game for the Bulldogs in nearly two weeks
“We can throw the ball with anybody who steps on the field with us,” said Zephyrhills Head Coach Rusty Guynn. “We haven’t had a game in nearly two weeks. Mark battled out there and he composed himself in spots and came back.
“We put Mason in a spot and he did well. Getting those three strikeouts in the last inning was big.”
In the top of the first, it was a pair of freshmen who collected all the RBIs. Denmark hit an RBI single scoring Micah Berrien and DJ Pickett hit a two-run single to account for the Bulldogs’ three runs.
The first game of the 9-Mile War on the baseball diamond belongs to the Bulldogs. The rematch is April 19 at Zephyrhills.
“It’s still the Zephyrhills-Pasco rivalry and they are going to compete,” Guynn said of the Pirates. “We’re just going to have to compete better in spots.”