By Rod Gipson
MaxPreps.com
Tampa Alonso ace pitcher Alex Panteliodis almost saw his personal winning streak end last week.
But thanks to his arm, and his bat, Panteliodis helped Alonso come from behind and top Class 5A-7 district rival Tampa Gaither 6-5. The win was Panteliodis’ 18th straight. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound left-hander improved to 6-0 on the season despite fighting off a cold as well as the Gaither batters.
When Gaither’s Sergio Delgado smashed a three-run home run off the standout pitcher in the fifth inning to take a 5-4 lead, it appeared Panteliodis’ streak was about to end. But Alonso rallied with two runs of its own, including the game-winning that came on an RBI double from Panteliodis.
The Ravens (10-1) have won seven in a row and have an edge on Gaither for the district tournament top seed with two wins already against them this season.
A University of Florida signee, Panteliodis has 40 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings this season. He has walked just eight batters while posting a 1.47 ERA.
In other baseball action, Tampa Plant was knocked from the unbeaten ranks, suffering its first loss of the season on March 20, a 2-1 setback to Tampa Jesuit. The loss dropped Plant to 15-1 on the season while Jesuit is 12-2. Meanwhile, Seminole remains the lone Tampa Bay-area baseball unbeaten at 13-0.
Softball Roundup
The Tampa Bay area softball season has reached the midpoint. Tough second-half district scheduling has been augmented with a high number of makeup games created by ongoing rainouts in the Tampa Bay-area in recent weeks.
With teams playing more games in a shorter period of time, Tampa Chamberlain hasn’t flinched. The Chiefs remain unbeaten, led by standout pitcher Alexandra Hartshorn. A junior, Hartshorn has come out of seemingly nowhere to make a claim as one of the area’s best hurlers this season.
Hartshorn is 7-0 on the season and has posted a 0.46 ERA in her 46 innings pitched this year. Her latest win was a 1-0 nine-inning victory against Riverview in which she allowed four hits. Chamberlain is 12-0 on the season.
Meanwhile, Tampa Gaither saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end with a 4-3 loss to Class 6A, District 7 rival Clearwater Countryside. And Land O’Lakes remains unbeaten at 10-0. The Gators have been led by outstanding pitching from Michelle Bradley (3-0) and Kasey Murray (47 strikeouts) and great hitting from Alexis Aubuchon (.542 batting average) and Bradley (five home runs).
Basketball: Bay Area Duo Earns Awards
Standout Seffner Armwood basketball player Adam Sollazzo earned MVP honors during the Florida Athletic Coaches Association North-South All-Star Game held in Daytona Beach last weekend.
Sollazzo, a 6-6 point guard, notched a triple-double for the South squad. Sollazzo, a senior, had 16 points and 11 rebounds while also dishing out 13 assists. His team won the game 112-106.
Meanwhile, Tampa Sickles’ senior Shawnta Snakovsky was named the Class 6A Florida Dairy Farmers Player of the Year. A 5-foot-7 guard, Snakovsky averaged 19 points a game while leading the Gryphons to a 25-3 record and the region semifinals.
Snakovsky also posted six steals per game to go with her four rebounds and two assists a game averages.
College Signings
Tampa Bay Tech football player Delon Thomas has signed with Lane College, a Division II program in Jackson, Tenn. Thomas led the Titans’ defense last season with 85 tackles and two interceptions.
Also, Tampa Catholic defensive end Marco Mendoza will play for the University of St. Francis, a NAIA school in Joliet, Ill. Mendoza led Hillsborough County with 23 sacks as a senior.
And four Lithia Newsome softball players have committed to college programs. Pitcher Ashley Stubbs (Appalachain State), outfielders Courtney St. Amant (Hillsborough Community College) and Jamie O’Hara (Villanova) and catcher A.J. Jones (Hillsborough Community College).
All four players are expected to sign their letters of intent during the first week of April.
Coaching Carousel
With spring football practice on the near horizon, one Bay area school has program has found a new coach while another one suddenly finds itself in the market.
Tampa King has hired former St. Petersburg Gibbs coach Alvin Davis to take over a Lions program that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2001. Davis, 62, is coming out of his one-year retirement to take the position. A 34-year-coaching veteran, Davis led Gibbs to five playoff berths between 1992 and 2001.
Meanwhile, Plant City football coach Kevin Kelley has resigned.
Kelley, who took over the Raiders’ coaching job midway through the 2005 season, led the team to the state playoffs in 2006 and 2007. He cited personal reasons for his resignation.