Hancock roughs up CCN 14-4
Of all the ways to begin all-star play, the Cape Coral National 9-year-old baseball team found itself in a real mess Monday at Hancock Park.
They walked off the field after the bottom of the first inning trailing Hancock by nine runs. The deficit was 11 after two innings.
Though CCN responded to the challenge by manager Steve Hunt and continued to compete hard, the end result was a 14-4 loss.
“(This game) you wad up and flush it down the toilet,” Hunt said. “I’m confident we can learn from our mistakes.”
It was the opening night of pool play in the District 9 Little League All-Star Tournament. CCN hosts South Fort Myers Wednesday and Punta Gorda Friday at Jason Verdow Park.
Both starting pitchers – Philip Ciancimino (CCN) and Bryce Adkins (Hancock) – struggled with their control at the start of their first inning.
Adkins bounced back. He walked the first two batters in the top of the first, but then struck out the final three batters of the inning and then three more in the second.
Though CCN scored four runs in the third, Adkins finished with eight strikeouts and did not allow a hit in 2 2/3 innings.
The control problems by CCN weren’t corrected in time and it led to a long bottom of the first.
Adkins started it off for Hancock with a walk and Stephen Berquist followed with a sharp single to right. Robbie Robinson and Justin Murray each walked, putting Hancock on the board.
In all, 13 batters came to the plate in the bottom of the first as Hancock opened a big lead. Several runs came courtesy of walks and wild pitches. Travis Rice and Riley Jones added RBI singles and Garrett Morgan drove in two runs with a triple.
“Obviously their pitcher struggled with control,” Hancock manager Ray Adkins said. “We were able to take advantage with baserunning.”
CCN may have been too far behind to mount a serious comeback, but they tried anyway. They put together a four-run rally in the top of the third. Andrew Jaffarian reached on a catcher’s interference and the next three batters walked, including an RBI by Paul Weigandt.
Weigandt, Tony Del Negro and Mike Coleman all scored on one wild play. Coleman came home first after a wild pitch and then an errant throw allowed Del Negro to score. Weigandt got caught in a rundown between third and home, but on his way back to third the ball struck him in the back and went into left field, allowing him to score and make it 11-4.
Del Negro and Weigandt each pitched in relief for CCN. Del Negro finished with seven strikeouts. Zack Long had the lone hit.
Hancock tacked on one run in the third and two more in the fourth to end the game after four innings. Michael Barnes smacked a double to deep right in the fourth.
Cape National 004 0 – 4 1 2
Hancock 921 2 – 14 7 1
W – Bryce Adkins. L – Philip Ciancimino.
2B – Michael Barnes (H).
3B – Garrett Morgan (H).