It’s safe to say things are clicking for Mariner starting pitcher Michael Scalise.  

The lefty senior once again turned in a stellar performance Tuesday night as part of the Tritons’ 6-3 win over Lemon Bay, advancing them to the FHSAA 4A Region 3 finals while taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning.  

In a rematch of an exciting district championship in which the Tritons walked it off, Mariner (17-12) plated four runs in the bottom half of sixth in a 2-2 game to move on in the state tournament.  

Senior catcher Drew Gifford, who once again kept the Lemon Bay (19-8) running game in-check, led off the home half of the sixth with a walk, and Jeff Mackey and Anthony Pimentel both came through with bunt singles to load the bases.  

Mariner’s Matt Morales (3-for-3, 3 RBI) then roped a grounder between short and third with the infield in, scoring two. Dom Cotoni followed that up with a two-RBI single of his own for some insurance. 

“We got a leadoff guy on and played a little bit of small ball that had the right guys bunting in the right situation,” said Mariner head coach Tom Woodley. “They pulled the infield in and we talk about it all the time – we don’t need a fancy hit, we need a ball hit somewhere hard on the ground and we were lucky enough to score four runs.” 

On the mound, Scalise was in control all evening. He mixed his fastball and breaking ball well and consistently got ahead in counts. Over six-plus innings, he allowed three runs (two earned) while surrendering just one hit, striking out nine and walking four.  

“He’s pitching with a bit of a chip on his shoulder,” Woodley said. “Guys have told him this and that – but the whole thing is he gets outs. That’s the name of the ball game at this level.” 

Over his last two starts (both playoff wins), Scalise has tossed 11-plus innings and allowed just three earned runs on three hits while striking out 16. He’ll be the first one to tell you about how strong a bond this team has made.  

“I came out here with a group of guys that I love being with,” Scalise said. “We’re a team with so much potential and we’re going to fight every inning of every out of every game. I dialed in and focused up and made pitches when I had to.” 

The Tritons wasted no time getting ahead as Morales dunked a single to center in the first that scored Mackey, who walked to leadoff the inning.  

In the third, Jorin Ohime lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Morales to put Mariner up 2-0.  

The Manta Rays evened things up in top of the fifth without recording a hit. Scalise walked the first man who advanced to second on a balk and then to third on a wild pitch. After Scalise walked a second batter, Javi Albarran lofted a sac fly to score Lemon Bay’s first run. They would get their second on an errant throw by Gifford trying to catch a runner at third advancing on a wild pitch. 

Scalise allowed the first Lemon Bay hit of the game, a leadoff double in the top of the seventh, before being relieved by workhorse Billy Wilson.  

Wilson came in and shut the door, though he did allow a run-scoring single (charged to Scalise) before a fly out to left locked up the Triton win.

“These guys come out and bust their butt every day we’re out here and they love being out here,” Woodley said. “And we’re going to try this as long as we can. 

“We tell them all the time to ‘control the controlables.’ Control your attitude, control your effort and control your preparation and let everything else take care of itself. That’s what we’ve been doing, just going out there playing hard.” 

Mariner draws Dunedin (17-11) on Wednesday, May 19, at 7 p.m. in the 4A-Region 3 Final with a trip to the Final Four on the line.  

— Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj