Freshman Sammy Echeverry slammed a three-run home run and Sean Gallagher pitched six innings of four-hit ball, as St. Cloud defeated Osceola, 4-3, to earn a split of their season series Friday.
“It was a big win for our young team,” Bulldogs coach David Blackmore said of his squad that did not have a senior in the starting lineup. “We have had an up and down season so far but this is the type of win you can certainly build on and feed off moving forward.”
Things did not start off smoothly for St. Cloud (8-5) or Gallagher in the early going Friday. He walked the leadoff batter to open the game and then gave up a double down the left field line to Jason Ramos. Nick Palmi followed with a sharp single to right as Osceola grabbed a 2-0 lead. But Gallagher would settle down, and the Osceola lead was short-lived. Aiden Pegauro led off the first by reaching on an error. Bryce Williams followed with a bunt single and Echeverry slammed an offering from Osceola starter Ethan Grant over the batter’s eye in center field for a three-run home run and a 3-2 lead. Echeverry, who came in the game hitting .444, now leads the Bulldogs in RBI (12) and extra base hits (5) through 13 games.
“Without question, he has a chance to be a very special player,” Blackmore said of his first-year player. “He works hard, is a great teammate and a great person on top of being an exceptional baseball player.”
St. Cloud extended the lead to 4-2 in the second by drawing four walks. Meanwhile, Gallagher was getting into a grove, retiring 17 of 18 batters in one stretch. But Osceola reliever Josher Freitez was equally effective upon entering the game in the third. He allowed just one hit and one walk in his four innings of relief to keep the game close.
Osceola finally scratched out a run in the sixth. Palmi walked, Grant reached on a single through the right side and Freitez delivered a run scoring double down the left field line to make it 4-3. But with runners on second and third, Gallagher ended the threat.
Echeverry’s hard-throwing brother Sebastian came on in the seventh. After a strikeout he faced some control issues, hitting nine-hole hitter Abram Giles and then walking Joel Santiago to put the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base with one out. But he won an intense battle with Ramos and struck him out on the ninth pitch of the at-bat before getting Palmi to fly out to the warning track in right field to end the game.
“He was throwing hard, but I simply missed the pitch,” Palmi said after the game. “As soon as it left the bat, I knew I didn’t quite get enough of it.”
St. Cloud collected just four hits in the game but Blackmore was still pleased with the discipline his team displayed at the plate.
“We had the discipline to draw five walks and had some loud outs,” Blackmore said. “We didn’t swing at a lot of bad pitches.”
Gallagher and Sebastian Echeverry combined for 13 strikeouts.
“I wouldn’t say Sean is our clear-cut No. 1, but he’s one of those guys who could be. Sebastian is just coming off surgery and was a little wild tonight but made the pitches he had to make to give us the win,” Blackmore said. “The last at-bat was nerve racking though. I have a lot of respect for Nick Palmi, he’s a great ballplayer. I’m just glad the fence was 335 and not 334.”
St. Cloud avenges an earlier season loss to Osceola and has road games next week against University (5-4-1) and arch-rival Harmony (7-8). The Kowboys (7-8) have tough games next week against West Orange (13-3) and Lake Minneola (9-4). All eight public county teams will be in action the following week in the Orange Belt Conference Baseball Tournament, April 8-12.
“Both this game and the Harmony game next week will be huge for our seeding,” Blackmore added. “But it should be a great tournament regardless. I really believe four or five teams will be good enough to win it.”
