Sharks Fall Short in State Semifinals

Port St. Joe rode a solid defense, among other keys, to the state Class 2A semifinals in Port St. Lucie.

On Monday against the defending state champion Stallions of Jacksonville Providence, that defense came up a bit short for the Sharks (20-11).

Port St. Joe outhit Providence 7-5 and Jacob Gentry was solid after a tough first inning, but three Shark errors were crucial as Port St. Joe fell 5-3.

"We kept thinking that one inning is going to come," said Port St. Joe coach T.C. Brewer. "We just ran into a team that played good defense. We kept hitting the ball, just right at them. We outhit them, but they had timely hitting.

"And we made three errors and they didn't."

Providence smacked three of its five hits off Gentry in the first inning and mixed with a Port St. Joe error it was combustible as the Stallions exploded for three runs and seemed unwilling to allow the Sharks to entertain any thought of an upset.

But in the top of the second inning - Port St. Joe was the visiting team - Gentry opened with a single and Brandon Strickland doubled.

A fielder's choice grounder by Jacob Thompson plated one run and Rock Quinn singled to drive in Strickland and Port St. Joe was back within 3-2 like that.

"Absolutely, that was important," Brewer said. "Jacob settled in and it was big for our team to get those runs because those runs made us realize it would be a close game, we were in it."

The Sharks made two critical base-running errors - Dawson was picked off first and Roman Quinn was doubled off first base on a line drive to right field that looked to be falling in - to thwart what appeared to be an opportunity to at least tie the game.

The Stallions' answered, crucially, in the third when a leadoff triple and a hits-batsman put runners on the corners with no outs.

A run scored on a nicely turn 6-4-3 double play, but two errors and a balk allowed Providence to plate one more run before Port St. Joe could get the third out and it was 5-2.

The Sharks got to within 5-3 in the fifth after Chris Cochran led off with a single. Cochran advanced to second when Robbie Martin dribbled one on the infield and Dawson rapped an RBI single, advancing to second on the throw.

But Providence brought on its ace reliever and the Sharks neither team could muster another run the rest of the game.

"People want me to say that this was a shock or I was surprised, but it really worked out the way it was supposed to," Brewer said. "We've gotten better as the season went along, late in the season the schedule got a little easier and we built off of that.

"It all came together and they had a different mentality. I was amazed how calm and relaxed our guys were. I am so proud of them. For those guys who stepped up for their senior years, Jacob Thompson, Tyrone Dawson, Jacob Gentry, Robbie Martin, Brandon Strickland, for those guys to step up the way they did, it was amazing."