Shorecrest Prep Inches One Step Closer to State Title

Shorecrest Prep is now three wins away from its ultimate goal of a Class 2A state title by blasting the Community School of Naples 11-1 Saturday at Shorecrest.

Jason Kiracofe broke open what was a tight 1-0 game in the third when his two-run triple to right gave the Chargers a 3-0 lead and highlighted a five-run inning.

That was just all the cushion starting pitcher Jordan Lindsey needed. The senior was still suffering the effects of food poisoning earlier in the week and coming off four days' rest after starting and pitching briefly in Shorecrest's region quarterfinal win over Fort Myers Evangelical. He gave up three hits while striking out five and walking six in 5 1/3 innings before he ran out of gas.

"I was really dehydrated [Tuesday]," Lindsey said of his food poisoning. "I'm great now."

He didn't look so great, and his coach Don Reed flatly said after the game Lindsey "was not 100 percent" but his stamina was. Lindsey, understandably, wasn't in his best pitching form, walking six batters but was buoyed by the early cushion he got from Shorecrest's offense.

"That was huge, a huge momentum switch for us," Lindsey said of Kiracofe's two-run triple. To put up a two-run triple anytime is great. But something like that in the playoffs really changes the game."

“Transferable trust,” is that Reed called Kiracofe’s hit, not just giving Shorecrest a nice lead but taking pressure off of Lindsey’s shoulders when he needed it the most.

Kiracofe didn't think his hit was anything special.

Community School of Naples' pitcher "left a fastball up and I hit it,"  Kiracofe calmly said. "We started hitting and they broke down a little bit. They got flustered."

Shorecrest will now travel to Tampa Tuesday night at 7 p.m. to play Brooks-DeBartolo for a Class 2A region final and a trip to the state tournament.