Spartans answer Blue Devils opening salvo

By Ray Dimonda
Correspondent

ORANGE PARK - Less than 24 hours after the first loss of the 2024 season, the Clay Blue Devils put up two runs in the top of the first inning, including an Easton McMahan home run out of center field on the host St. Johns Country Day Spartans. The Spartan’s Kyle Boylston, Kody Daneault, Seth Alford, and TJ Sunderhaus countered with four runs in their first at bat and continued to throw coal on the inferno as they torched the Blue Devils 17-3 in five innings.
“They came out and (metaphorically) threw a punch. We knew after they lost last night, they were going to come out angry,” said St. Johns Country Day Head Coach Tom Lucas. “We made an early mistake that they capitalized on. When we answered them, it was big, but the zero we put up in the top of the second to get us right back said; this was not going to be a slugfest.”
The Blue Devils would quickly go through four pitchers to try slowing down the Spartans, to no avail. The Spartans held Clay to three up, three outs in the second inning before taking the wind out of the Blue Devil sails with six runs in the bottom of the second. “Tonight, my guys really competed against some really good Clay pitchers.”
Down by eight runs in the top of the third inning, the Blue Devils didn’t surrender as McMahan poked an RBI single to score Cole Carnell before the Spartan defense again stopped the Blue Devils. The Spartans came back to the plate to punch up another seven runs in the bottom of the third to go ahead 17-3.
“The reality of it is, if we lost by one, or by fourteen, it’s a loss,” said Clay Head Coach Josh Persinger. “You learn from it. We kept getting crossed up at the plate. Pitchers and catchers getting crossed up, just some things we just have to fix. Next pitch… We’re five and two on a tough schedule and we see everyone’s number one and number two. Tonight, we hit them early, but with a team like this, you know they are going to hit back.”
In the four innings the Spartans batted, they piled up 13 hits. James Gilson, Collin Briggs, Nick Bowden, Seth Alford, Preston Cole, and Kyle Boylston all had two hits. St. Johns also racked up seven walks off Clay’s four pitchers.
The Spartans’ Austin Stratman went four innings on the hill, giving up four hits, and three runs as he struck out six Blue Devils, and walked no batters. Trevor Bradley came in to close the game with three up, three outs to end the game.
Of note; one would have to look back to April 12, 2022 for the last time the Blue Devils had back-to-back losses.
On Thursday, Oakleaf unloaded with a four-run fifth inning to beat Clay 5-1 at Clay High School to give the Blue Devils their first loss of the season; now at 5-2. 
In that explosive fifth inning, Oakleaf's batting lineup opened with a double from Abrien Paseiro with a botched bunt putting runners at first and third; Brandon Wallace on the bunt error, before Railon Turner unloaded a second double for the inning to plate Paseiro and bring in pitcher Preston Andrews for Clay.
Andrews intentionally walked Jamiani Arriaga to load the bases and create an any base out situation, but a line drive from Isaiah Walker and a followup single from Jackson Clark proved disastrous as Oakleaf blew up their lead to 5-0. 
Jordan Clarke got the win off the mound for Oakleaf with five strikeouts with starter Merrick Rapoza, with six Ks, getting the loss.
Prior to Oakleaf, Clay had four shutout wins in a row; a 2-0 over Ponte Vedra, a 1-0 over 6A-Lee County (GA), a 6-0 over 2A-Brantley County (GA), and a 10-0 over Orange Park with a 5-1 over Nease the the last run against the Blue Devil defense prior to Oakleaf. 
St.Johns has had a topsy turvy season thus far with blowouts of 17-3, 10-0 and 19-3 around wins of 4-3 (over Columbia, James Gilson 2RBI single, and North Florida Christian, Hunter Rodgers RBI double) and 4-2 (over Buchholz; 2RBI single James Gilson in eighth) and even a 9-8 win over Yulee (James Gilson RBI single in sixth, Seth Alford HR in 5th). 

Upcoming schedule

Monday, March 11
Fleming Island at Bozeman
Middleburg at Westside
Oakleaf vs. McMinn TN

Tuesday, March 12
Fleming Island vs. Anderson City TN
Flagler at St. Johns Country Day School
Nease at Ridgeview
Oakleaf vs. Knoxville Central TN

Wednesday, March 13
Fleming Island vs. Knoxville
Ridgeview at Westside
Oakleaf vs. Anderson Co. TN

Thurs., March 14
St. Johns (7-0, No. 5 Florida) at IMG Academy (7-1, No. 2 USA)
Clay (5-2, 36th FL, 5th 5A) at Arnold (6-0, 13th FL)
Ridgeview at Palatka

Friday, March 15
Clay at Mosley

Monday, March 18
Middleburg at Fleming Island

Tuesday, March 19
Oakleaf at St. Johns Country Day School
Bradford Co. at Keystone Heights

Wednesday, March 20
Keystone Hts. at Ridgeview
St. Augustine at Fleming Island