By STEVE LEE, Times Staff Writer
Published August 5, 2005
DADE CITY - The Dade City senior baseball team needed four titles to duplicate last summer's record-setting run to the World Series.
The all-star team of 15- and 16-year-olds only made it halfway.
Dade City came within one win of a third title, bowing out of the state tournament in Fort Lauderdale after Tuesday's 7-3 loss to Braden River in the final.
"We're state runnersup and that's not chopped liver," Dade City manager Geoff Wells said. "We had our chance. We just didn't quite finish the job."
Brothers Justin and Jeremy Johnson pitched in the final for Dade City. Both were hurt by poor defensive play as Braden River capitalized on three errors for five unearned runs.
Dade City struggled offensively as well, leaving eight baserunners stranded. The Johnson brothers, along with Quinten Jones, each had RBI singles.
Dade City, which won district and sectional titles for a second straight season, could not afford a bad game after dropping its series opener 8-6 against Braden River. Three wins later and Dade City had its rematch in the championship game.
"The boys really pulled together," Wells said. "We just think we're a much better team than the way we played that first game when we spotted (Braden River) seven runs."
Dade City went 2-1 in pool play, then defeated Ocoee 3-0 in a semifinal. Aaron Brandt pitched a three-hitter with six strikeouts and two walks in that game.
"He just kept them off-balance and pitched a fantastic game," Wells said.
Brandt's RBI single in the top of the fifth snapped a scoreless tie. Dade City added two unearned runs in the sixth with Matt Wells, the manager's son, and Dustin Brown scoring when Dakota Parker reached base on an infield error.
"We had a score to settle with them," Wells said, noting Ocoee eliminated Dade City at the junior baseball level in the 2003 sectionals.
In the first of three pool play contests, Dade City dug itself a hole by spotting Braden River a 7-0 lead through two innings. Justin Johnson hit a home run, Matt Wells went 4-for-4 and Trevor Hobbs had two hits. But Dade City's comeback bid fell short in a two-run loss.
Pitching highlighted Dade City's next two games as Justin Johnson and Brown had complete-game victories. Justin Johnson scattered five hits in a 9-1 defeat of Coral Ridge and Brown tossed a four-hitter in a 3-2 win over Boynton Beach.
Will Pullin and Brown blasted three-run homers, and Reyes Perez added one against Coral Ridge.
Dade City came through in the seventh against Boynton Beach. Wells' two-out single scored Hobbs to snap a tie at 2.
