Gateway Panthers (15-9) vs. Haines City Hornets (15-9)
When: Thursday, 7pm
Where: Osceola County Stadium, Kissimmee (631 Heritage Park Way)
TV: BHSN (Channel 47 and HD 1147)
Coaches: Gateway – Jim Moran (3rd, 49-29); Haines City – Tom Moores (1st, 15-9)
About the matchup: The 9A, District 5 championship is on the line Thursday night when second seed Haines City takes on fourth seed Gateway at Osceola County Stadium.
The Panthers got into the title game by knocking off top seed Osceola 2-0 in Tuesday’s semifinal. Gateway starting pitcher Sam Peralta was masterful, tossing a complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts. After allowing a 2-0 lead to slip away, Haines City plated a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to top Ridge Community 3-2. With two outs and the bases loaded, junior third baseman Angel Colon delivered a solid single to center field, allowing Zeddric Burnham to score the game winning run.
Those victories mean that both Haines City and Gateway have secured spots in the region quarterfinals on April 27. The winner of Thursday’s game will have home field advantage for that first region game.
Players to Watch:
Haines City catcher Zach Jackson – The UF-commit is rated as the 20th best junior prospect in Florida. He’s hitting .367 with six doubles, a triple and a home run.
Haines City third baseman Angel Colon – Colon moved to Polk County from New York and has settled into the heart of the Hornets batting order. He leads the team in average (.419) and is tied for the team lead in RBI’s (17).
Gateway second baseman Jose Montoyo – Known for his outstanding defense, Montoyo came through at the plate in Tuesday’s district semifinal by driving in Gateway’s first run on a double to left field.