Donny Norris, Pinellas Park Shut Down Boca Ciega

Donny Norris saved his best game for the perfect moment.

The baseball team's ace had lost to Boca Ciega once already this season. Now, with a chance in the Class 5A region quarterfinal at stake as well as a chance to advance to the district tournament finals, Morris was nothing short of overpowering.

Norris recorded 14 strikeouts and held Boca Ciega to just two hits in a 9-0 win Wednesday at Pinellas Park.

"He was on and we were not able to make contact," Boca Ciega baseball coach Ralph Rogers said. "It was probably one of his better games."

Both Norris and his coach Bill Ruttencutter agreed agree with Rogers.

“If you are going to have a 14-strikeout game, this is the game to do it,” Ruttencutter said.

"My stuff was working from the get-go today," Norris said. "I got around there No. 3 and No. 4 hitters in their lineup which is their big hitters. My fastball, curveball, change-up and slider were all working for me. They were breaking over the plate. I could throw them all for strikes and I was able to threw a few bad and make them chase for it."

Unlike Norris, Boca Ciega ace Nate Aipel wasn't as strong as his first two starts against Pinellas Park. In two games against the Patriots, Aipel had not allowed a run. But now having seen Aipel enough, Pinellas Park made adjustments at the plate and hammered Aipel early.

"He likes to nibble outside," Norris said of Aiple's pitching. "So now having seen him we made adjustments. We decided to scoot up in the box and we were able to get around on those same pitches he was getting us out with before."

“He’s a good pitcher and he shut us down the first two times we played,” Ruttencutter said. “We couldn’t figure him out. He throws a nice pitch and we chase and we chase and we chase. But we got some lucky hits today. We just had to be patient.”

That proved true in the third inning when Zach McIntyre blasted an Aipel offering for a three-run home run that gave Pinellas Park a 4-0 lead. The way Morris was pitching, the Patriots wouldn't need any more offense the rest of the day.

"Aipel left a lot of stuff up and you get hurt that way," Rogers said.

The win by Pinellas Park sets up a cross-town showdown with Largo for the district championship. Largo upset Northeast 15-1 late Wednesday night. The winner of this game will host a Class 5A region quarterfinal game Tuesday. The loser will start the region playoffs on the road.

Game time for the Largo-Pinellas Park game, at Pinellas Park, is 7 p.m. Friday.