By: J. Daniel Pearson for Positively Osceola
Sports can be a game of inches and that was certainly the case on Friday night.
With his back against the left field wall, St. Cloud ‘s Nathan Bianco reached up and kept Nick Palmi’s drive in the park for the final out of the game to preserve St. Cloud’s 4-3 win over Osceola in high school baseball action.
“I rolled under it just a little. As soon as it left the bat, I didn’t think I caught enough of it,” Palmi said about the offering from Sebastian Echeverry. “He throws pretty hard and I knew the key was not to over-swing against him. I just missed squaring up with it.”
The play was just one of several exciting moments, as St. Cloud (8-5) evened the season series with Osceola (6-7).
Sean Gallagher would pitch six innings of four-hit ball and freshman Sammy Echeverry would hit a massive three-run homer to pace the Bulldogs to the win.
But it would not be an easy victory by any means for St. Cloud.
Gallagher would struggle early, walking the game’s leadoff hitter Joel Santiago on five pitches and then giving up a double down the left field line to Jason Ramos. Palmi would follow with a sharp single to left center and Osceola would lead 2-0.
But Gallagher would soon find his groove. He would retire 16 of the next 17 batters he would face and after Osceola starter Ethan Grant gave up the Echeverry home run in the first and walk four batters in the second to allow another run, St. Cloud was cruising with a 4-2 lead.
Osceola would finally come back to life in the sixth. With one out, Palmi drew a walk, Grant bounced an infield single through the right side and Josber Freitz delivered an RBI double down the left field line to cut the gap to 4-3.
With the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, Gallagher would the strike out pinch hitter Felix Rodriguez and Yamil Santiago to end the threat.
Meanwhile, Osceola reliever Freitz was keeping the Kowboys in the game. The sophomore pitched four innings of one-hit ball to keep the game close heading into the final frame. Sebastian Echeverry relieved Gallagher and got struck out the first batter he faced before hitting nine-hole hitter Abram Giles and walking Joel Santiago to again put the tying and go-ahead runs on base with one out. But the sophomore came through, winning a huge battle by striking out Ramos on a 2-2 count and then getting Palmi on the deep fly to end the game.
“Sebastian was coming off surgery this year and is just starting to get back in pitching shape,” Bulldogs Coach David Blackmore said. “He made the pitches he had to make to win the game. I will say I was a little nervous at the end. I have a ton of respect for Nick Palmi, he’s a great ballplayer. I’m just glad the fence was 335 and not 334 on that last pitch.”
Blackmore also praised his freshman Sammy Echeverry, who came into the game hitting .444 and is now leading the Bulldogs with 12 RBI and three home runs. Echeverry’s home run cleared the 20-foot batter’s eye in dead centerfield. “He has a chance to be a really special player,” Blackmore said. “For being so young, Sammy is a good teammate, a better person, and an exceptional baseball player.”
Pitching was still the key to the win for St. Cloud. Gallagher and Sebastian Echeverry combined to allow just four hits; while striking out 13.
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 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.
