Zephyrhills turned eight hits into eight runs to defeat IMG Academy Blue 8-3 Friday Night at John Clements Field.
Sophomore Traiton Costello went 3-for-4, with a double, an RBI and scored three runs to pace the Bulldogs offense. Danny Carter, JT Dobbins and Sean Dobbins added two RBIs each.
Strong pitching performances by Costello and junior Colin O’Malley kept the Ascenders off balance for most of the game. Costello and O’Malley combined for nine strikeouts, gave up just three walks and seven hits through seven innings.
The victory over IMG gives the Bulldogs consecutive wins for the first time this season.
“This is very big with back-to-back wins now,” said second year head coach Ralph Rogers. “We still have a long way to go. They’ve been working and came ready to play. Tonight, they played really well. This is probably the best game we played this season.”
Rogers’ roster features just three senior, so the youth movement is progressing as the season moves on.
“It’s a good group and the culture is the first thing I wanted to see change,” Rogers said. “The culture has changed from last year. That was our starting point. These kids are close. I couldn’t be any prouder as I am right now.”