Patti McDonald, Times Correspondent
Friday, February 25, 2011
TAMPA — After a tough loss to Riverview earlier in the week, Brandon was eager to get back to form against Alonso. The Eagles did just that as they defeated the perennial powerhouse 6-0 in Friday's Class 6A-8 matchup.
"We did not need too much motivation after that 5-0 loss," Brandon coach Matthew Stallbaumer said. "We brought our focus back to what we needed to do and came out with the win.
"We took advantage of our opportunities to put the ball in play, got some timely hits we needed to, pitched and played defense late, and for the most part tonight we dictated the tempo of the game."
Junior Chris Toney pitched four solid innings for Brandon (3-1) and senior Chase Sparkman picked up the save.
Alonso (2-1) defeated Brandon in all games at home for four straight seasons until Friday night.
"This is our team's first win in four years at Alonso, and it's great to finally beat them at their own field," Sparkman said.
Not only did Sparkman shine when it came to pitching, he showed off his hitting skills, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
After Adam Sass' home run in the second, Sparkman helped the Eagles to a 2-0 lead after his hit allowed a run to score in the third inning and his single drove in two runs in the fifth, making it 4-0.
"He has been part of this for four years now," Stallbaumer said. "We like to think of him as a pitcher first, but he definitely had some key hits for us tonight."
Eric Hinostroza's single scored two runs for the Eagles, making it a 6-0 lead.