The clock nearly struck midnight for Cinderella.
But instead the Sunlake Seahawk baseball team, in the school’s first ever playoff appearance, is going to the state tournament after defeating North Marion 6-3 Tuesday night in extra innings.
Down to their final out, trailing 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning, an errant pick-off throw by North Marion catcher Matt Thomas allowed Seahawk pitcher David Castillo to score the tying run. Sunlake then erupted for three runs off Colt relief pitcher Kadyn Yhl in the eighth inning to punch their ticket to Fort Myers.
“All of a sudden things have started to go right for us,” Sunlake head coach Dick Rohrberg said with celebratory shaving cream covering his uniform. “We have won games (this year) where we were down four runs in the last inning with two outs, two strikes on the batter, nobody on and we have won. Some of those games I look at (assistant coach) Mike Peoples and say ‘Are you kidding me?’”
Tuesday night was no different.
After Castillo and the Seahawk defense held North Marion scoreless for the first four innings, Sunlake entered the top half of the sixth trailing 3-2. The sixth inning was also the first time the Seahawks were retired 1-2-3. Down to their final three outs in the seventh, Colt pitcher Donte Torino faced the top of the Sunlake’s order. The lefty struck out Colton King for the first out. Castillo followed with a single, just the Seahawks fifth hit of the game. Zach Howard flied out to centerfield for the second out of the inning. Castillo advanced to second on a Torino pitch in the dirt during the Howard at bat. North Marion head coach Dale Hall chose to intentionally walk Seahawk second baseman Omar Cala. Freshman Kyle Oliver came in to run for Cala. With Zach Scranton up and runners on first and second, Castillo moved to third on another Torino pitch in the dirt. Oliver stayed at first. Oliver took a sizable lead off first with the count 1-2 to Scranton. After a pitch called ball two, Thomas threw to first in an attempt to pick off Oliver. Thomas’ throw was wild and ended up in right field easily allowing Castillo to score the game-tying run
“They made more mistakes than us and we made them pay,” Castillo said afterwards.
Sunlake really made North Marion pay in the top of the eight. After Yhl walked Jessie Williams to lead off the inning, King executed a perfect bunt up the first base line. Yhl and Colt first baseman Nick Wright had no play. Yhl’s field ability was again tested in the next at bat when Castillo hit a high chopper back to the pitcher. Yhl couldn’t handle it and the Seahawks had the base loaded with no outs. Howard, already responsible for one RBI on the night, scored Williams on a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield to give Sunlake the lead 4-3. Oliver stayed in the game and hit for Cala. In just his third at bat of the season, the freshman roped a RBI single into left field scoring King. Scranton brought home Castillo on a ground out giving the Seahawk relief pitcher Ryan Talburt a three-run cushion to work with, 6-3. The senior retired North Marion in order in the bottom of the eight. A pile of happy Seahawks mobbed each other outside the Sunlake dugout.
Cala scored the first Seahawk run on a bases loaded walk by Torino in the fourth inning. An RBI single by Howard in fifth scored Castillo giving Sunlake a 2-0 lead.
In their two playoff victories prior to Tuesday, against Hernando and Pasco, Castillo went the distance earning two wins. The senior again played a big part in the win over North Marion.
“He is effectively wild,” Rohrberg said of Castillo. “He’ll throw two off the plate, then out on the black, then one in on the black and then bust a good curve ball. They couldn’t sit on just one pitch.”
Sunlake is the first Pasco county school since 2002 to make it to the state tournament.
“No one has given us credit,” said Oliver. “It’s all about football, football (at Sunlake). Now we have gone further than (the football team) ever has. Maybe we’ll get noticed.”
Sunlake will get noticed in the final four as they face Jesuit.