#7 Sickles Defeats #9 Strawberry Crest to Open the Season
February 22, 2023
Tuesday night saw a matchup of two top 10 ranked teams in the state with #7 Sickles hosting #9 Strawberry Crest. The stands were packed with scouts and it was a close battle the whole way through.
Getting the start for Sickles was UCF recruit Caden McDonald. The right-hander was coming off a big 2022 season and looked to kick off his senior spring in the same way. McDonald sat 89-92 with his fastball and got it all the way up to 93 mph. He paired it with a mid 70s slider that helped generate swings and misses. McDonald went 6 shutout innings for Sickles allowing just 3 hits while recording 9 strikeouts.
Caden McDonald ‘23 (FL) looks to have made another jump this spring.
— Rocco Iervasi Jr. (@rocco_iervasi) February 22, 2023
6’3, 195 lb frame touching 93 mph. Quick arm with feel to spin the SL.
6 Ks thru 4 scoreless @UCF_Baseball recruit
FB: 89-92 T93
SL: 76-79
CH: 80-81@SHSGryphonsBB pic.twitter.com/Mj8Df6BgS7
For Strawberry Crest, Florida recruit Alex Philpott started on the mound. The 6-foot-5 right hander worked 88-90 with his fastball pairing it with a tight spinning CB. Philpott went 4.1 innings allowing 2 runs and striking out 3.
Alex Philpott ‘23 (FL) worked up to 90 with his FB tonight.
— Rocco Iervasi Jr. (@rocco_iervasi) February 22, 2023
Long, lean frame at 6’5, 170 lbs. Arm works clean w/ minimal effort.
Tight spinning breaker. M2C as he gets stronger.@GatorsBB recruit
FB: 88-90
CB: 73-75 pic.twitter.com/1PPBKcrYkr
Sickles struck early in the first. Connor Vance and Hayden Yost led things off with walks. A few batters later, Louisville commit Thomas Bly singled to left to drive in Vance and give Sickles an early 1-0 lead. Strawberry Crest rallied in the 2nd inning, getting runners on 2nd and 3rd but were left stranded.
Thomas Bly ‘24 (FL) gets the scoring started with a RBI single in the first.
— Rocco Iervasi Jr. (@rocco_iervasi) February 22, 2023
Physical CIF hammers one thru the hole in his first AB of the season.@LouisvilleBSB commit@SHSGryphonsBB pic.twitter.com/Lgy3xWchub
In the 5th, Sickles would rally once again. After a Connor Vance walk, Florida recruit Hayden Yost would notch his second hit of the game. Following Yost, starting pitcher Caden McDonald would help himself out with an RBI single to make it 2-0 Sickles.
Starting Pitcher Caden McDonald ‘23 (FL) helps his cause with a RBI single.
— PBR Florida (@PBRFlorida) February 22, 2023
The RHP is thru 6 shutout innings as Sickles leads 2-0.@UCF_Baseball recruit@SHSGryphonsBB pic.twitter.com/DWsXHJGgIi
In the 6th, Strawberry Crest looked to fight back. FSU recruit Arjun Nimmala singled to left. Next batter Zachary Redner was hit by a pitch. With 2 on and 2 outs, both runners were left stranded and the score remained 2-0.
Arjun Nimmala ‘23 (FL) finds barrel for his first hit of the 2023 season.
— Rocco Iervasi Jr. (@rocco_iervasi) February 22, 2023
Premier bat speed, barrel stays in the zone with juice to all fields.
Elite defender at SS@FSUBaseball recruit | #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/2zasf7Netm
Luke Fikar would close things out for Sickles in the 7th giving them a big 2-0 win to start their season. Hayden Yost and Justin Allen both recorded 2 hits each in the win.
Yost collects his second hit of the game to continue the rally for Sickles. Top 6 Sickles leads 2-0 pic.twitter.com/OltEg0TaM8
— PBR Florida (@PBRFlorida) February 22, 2023