Bishop McLaughlin Pitchers Combine on One-Hitter, Top Nature Coast 7-1

On a chilly Tuesday night at Sharks Field, Bishop McLaughlin pitchers Armando Persia and Owen Anderson combined on a one-hitter to silence one of Hernando County's hottest offenses, sending the Hurricanes past Nature Coast 7-1 in the opening round of the Farm Bureau Insurance High School Baseball Classic at Nature Coast Technical High School in Spring Hill.

Nature Coast had scored 83 runs across its first 13 games this season, but the Sharks' bats produced almost nothing against Persia, who worked deep into the game before Owen Anderson relieved him in the seventh inning and retired all three batters he faced to close it out. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Sharks. "We just weren't who we've been all season," Nature Coast coach Dan Garofano said.

Bishop McLaughlin wasted no time against Nature Coast junior left-hander Mario DeAngelis. Senior second baseman Chris Bell led off the game with a double to center field, and sophomore shortstop Connor McGuire drove him in with a single up the middle to put the Hurricanes ahead 1-0 in the first inning.

The lead grew considerably in the third. Bishop McLaughlin loaded the bases with three consecutive singles, then junior catcher Brandon Savarese delivered a two-run single to make it 3-0. Senior first baseman Steele Thalleen followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, pushing the advantage to 4-0.

Bishop McLaughlin put the game away in the fifth, tacking on three more runs. Thalleen knocked in one with a double, and junior designated hitter Josh Rogerson and Bell each added RBI singles to stretch the lead to 7-0. Nature Coast managed one run before Anderson finished off the seventh for the final 7-1 margin.

The Nature Coast win was Bishop McLaughlin's second of the day. Earlier Tuesday afternoon, the Hurricanes had already beaten Daytona Beach Seabreeze 14-10, with Savarese hitting two home runs and senior third baseman Lucas Zarlenga driving in four runs. The back-to-back victories improved Bishop McLaughlin to 7-6 on the season.