The Hernando High baseball team hosted three teams from out of the county this past week and earned three wins by a combined 29-6. It started with a 14-2 shelling of Lecanto on Tuesday, March 24, followed by a 9-0 victory over Lakeland two days later and a 6-4 triumph over Land O’ Lakes last Friday to improve to 15-3 overall.
That win over the Gators came one week after falling to them in the semifinals of the Farm Bureau Insurance Classic. The Leopards would be the far away the class of the county if not for the fact that Nature Coast improved to 16-2 overall after winning two games over the past week. The Sharks routed Dunnellon 16-0 on Tuesday, March 24. Garrick Waggoner had a triple amongst his two hits, scoring and driving in three runs apiece. Cashis Williams also had two hits, scored twice and had three RBI, and Daryn Demeza was 2 for 2 with three RBI. Noah Sanchez finished 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBI, Aidan O’Nolan had a double, two runs and one RBI, and Bryce Hewell had a hit, a run and one RBI. Mario DeAngelis and Collin Tice combined to strike out seven across four scoreless innings.
Then last Friday, Nature Coast (16-2) bounced Umatilla 9-5. Waggoner went 2 for 4 with four RBI and Brayden Evans was 3 for 3 with a home run and three runs scored. O’Nolan ended up 2 for 4 with two runs and one RBI, Frankie Sekelsky added a hit and one RBI, and Will Wilkie chipped in one RBI. Waggoner also threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out four.
After starting the week with a 6-0 loss to Land O’ Lakes on Tuesday, March 24, Weeki Wachee bounced back to beat Lecanto 6-1 on Wednesday, March 25. Niko DiBenedetto was 4 for 4 with two runs, Ashton Childs was 3 for 4 with one run, J.D. Sammons had a hit and two RBI, and Derek Giordano went 2 for 3 with a triple, a run and one RBI. Aaron Bingnear allowed one unearned run over seven innings while striking out seven.
On Friday, the Hornets (9-7) downed Mitchell 5-4. DiBenedetto had a triple, a run and two RBI, Sammons had a hit and one RBI.
Originally reported by Hernando Sun
Sources: Hernando Sun
