Traveling so much to start the season has not hurt TCA Conquerors Varsity Baseball in the least bit. After a preseason pair of games in Plant City a week before, the Conquerors have traveled to LaGrange in Georgia for four games and then to single games in three Florida cities: Ponte Vedre, Ocala, and Green Cove Springs — all in less than 10 days. The travel, though, seems to have had little effect on the players as they have won all but one of their games so far — and all seven that officially count on their 2019 record.
THURSDAY: TCA 7, Trinity Catholic 5
On Thursday, Brian Muniz hit a game-winning two-run homer in the top of the top of the sixth to give the Conquerors a 7-5 win over Trinity Catholic in Ocala. Muniz drove in three runs overall, including a double that plated Jared Donald to pull TCA to within a run after Trinity Catholic’s five-run bottom of the third. Muniz then scored the tying run on Conner Aldrich‘s squeeze bunt.
The Conquerors scored single runs in the first and third innings. Kishon Frett doubled home Dawson Fietsam in the first, and Muniz scored on a wild pitch in the third.
FRIDAY: TCA 8, Clay 3
In Green Cove Springs on Friday, the Conquerors scored in six different innings to defeat Clay High School 8-3. Trinity pounded out 11 hits, and Muniz had three of them in four at bats while scoring twice.
The Conquerors also hit three home runs. Dylan Simmons had a solo shot in the top of the fourth, Denver Wood did the same in the fifth, and Frett went yard in the sixth. The trio of long balls put the game out of reach.
Simmons had 2 RBI and 2 runs scored in all, and Fietsam also drove in a run with a single to score Noah Couch and put the Conquerors ahead 2-1 in the third. He also scored in the seventh on a Simmons ground ball.
Bryce Janney (W: 3-0, 0.78 ERA) was Thursday’s winner over Trinity Catholic with 3.2 scoreless innings of relief work in which he allowed one hit and struck out two. C.J. Crawford (S: 1) pitched a scoreless seventh for the save.
Friday’s winner at Clay was Kanyan James (W: 2-0, 2.42) with four innings, in which he allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks. Matt Crump and Frett combined for three scoreless innings in relief to close it out.
Upcoming Games
After all that traveling, the Conquerors will play their next six games at home with the first of those against Baldwin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday,March 12. TCA will then host Trinity Catholic and Stoneman Douglas on Friday, March 15, at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m., respectively. The Baldwin and Trinity Catholic games will stream on Facebook: TCA Conquerors Athletics, and the Stoneman Douglas game will air on FM 91.7 The Truth and www.ilovethetruth.com.
