Mulberry hangs tough but falls in Class 4A state semifinals by a run

Mulberry put up a strong effort in its bid for its first baseball state title in 64 years but came up agonizingly short on Tuesday afternoon.

Victor Norori scored on a passed ball with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning to provide Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons with the winning run in its 3-2 victory over Mulberry in the semifinals of the 2024 F HSAA Class 4A Baseball Championships at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

Mulberry finished the season 19-10 and was in the playoffs for the first time in 17 season. After losing in the district semifinals, the Panthers’ still made the playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the region and won three games to advance to the final four for the first time since 1960.

“I'm super proud of the guys and the coaches,” Mulberry coach David Gotauco said. “We made a good run down the stretch. You don't want to get into the final four and get blown out. It was a 2-2 ball game going into the sixth. How could we draw it up any better? The only way we could draw it up better is to come around with the win, but at the end of the day, a team has to lose. I think we did a good enough job to win, but the other team was better today. We showed them that we earned their respect. I think they came in the game thinking that they might be able to push us around pretty hard, but we made it a game and we definitely stood our ground and earned some respect this year.”

The Panthers were in the game until the end and had a chance to at least tie the score after Cardinal Gibbons took the lead. In the top of the sixth inning, Nic Partridge singled with one out and moved into scoring position with two outs. Cardinal Gibbons pitcher Jack Campbell, however, struck out Brock Thielein to end the threat. Campbell then retired the Panthers 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh to seal the victory.

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Mulberry actually outhit Cardinal Gibbons (24-4) in what was a pitching duel between Alex Fisher and Michael Kass as each starting pitching pitched into the fifth inning.

Cardinal Gibbons took a 2-0 in the bottom of the third inning despite managing one hit off of Fisher. The Chiefs put two runners on base via an error and a walk then Fisher allowed his first hit of the game, a two-run double to Eddie Marshall.

Mulberry quickly tied the score in the top of the fourth. Dominic Gotauco and Partridge led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and Thielen drove them both home with a double down to right.

Cardinal Gibbons loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth when Fisher had to leave with a finger injury after he “literally ripped the whole skin off his index finger.”

Initially, the finger was patched and bandaged but he still couldn’t throw effectively. Fisher left with a three-hitter in 4 2/3 innings with two strikeouts and three walks.

“I’m extremely proud of him,” Gotauco said. “Tthat kid’s record doesn't really show how good a pitcher he was. Noah (Campbell) and Fish went against the best all year. And every single game that they've pitched, we've had a chance to win.”

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Campbell came in to pitch and went 3-0 with the winning run scoring on a passed ball on ball three. He came back with three consecutive strikes to close out the inning.

“We competed with them nonstop,” Gotauco said. “I thought we were the better team to be honest with you. The ball just didn't roll our way. They were heavy pitching, but I thought we definitely matched up well on the offensive side and on the defensive side. The ball rolls our way Tuesday against McKeel, and the ball didn't roll our way today. But we definitely belong there. We showed that we competed. We had a great season and we showed that Mulberry isn’t the pushover anymore.”

Mulberry returns a strong core for next season, losing just Cooper Wright from the lineup. The biggest challenge will be replacing Fisher and Campbell on the mound.

“I think positional-wise we're going to be good, but it depends on if our pitch is going to be able to carry us enough,” Gotauco said. “We're definitely looking on making a run next year as well. Mulberry isn’t that team that everybody thought they could, schedule on their senior night.”

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Mulberry hangs tough but falls in Class 4A state semifinals by a run