Chris Girandola, Times Correspondent
Saturday, February 26, 2011
TARPON SPRINGS — Coming off a region final appearance last season, Joey Krehbiel demonstrated Friday why he is heading to USF on a scholarship next year. The 6-foot-1 right-hander dominated Tarpon Springs, throwing a one-hitter in a 5-0 win.
Krehbiel had 14 strikeouts and one walk and helped at the plate by going 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
"He's a game-changer," Seminole coach Greg Olsen said. "He's a competitor and his competitiveness really came out there when he was faced with some trouble."
Krehbiel faced trouble just once. Up 1-0, the senior captain walked the leadoff batter in the fourth, then gave up a single to Michael Dunnigan. Krehbiel (1-1) picked off the runner at second then struck out the next two batters with ease to end the inning.
The Warhawks (4-1) added three runs in the next inning as Phillips and McGathey each had a run-producing hit.
"Last year was surprising for us big time," Krehbiel said. "It was a good experience for us, though, because we learned what it takes to get far in the playoffs and what it will take to go even farther. Last year, we were just playing and didn't really know what we could achieve. After that (playoff) loss, we immediately made it a mission to work hard to make it a realistic goal this year to go far."
Phillips was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run, McGathey went 1-for-3 with a double, and Jordan Meyer went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs.
Dunnigan had seven strikeouts and allowed five runs, four earned, over five innings for the Spongers (3-2).