Giardina tough, but Sarasota tops Durant
By ANTHONY GAGLIANO, Times Staff Writer
Published March 11, 2006
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DURANT - A pitching matchup pitting two Division I signees against each other didn't disappoint.
Durant's Carmine Giardina tossed a two-hitter, but was upstaged by Sarasota's Eric Erickson, who fired a no-hitter to lead the Sailors to a 2-0 victory Friday.
No fewer than 13 scouts were on hand to watch the top-rated left-handers. Erickson, who signed a scholarship with Miami, hit one batter and walked another, but his 12 strikeouts kept the host Cougars quiet. Giardina, a future member of the reigning national champion Texas Longhorns, was relegated to the hard-luck loser despite fanning 13.
"I had to go pitch-for-pitch with him, knowing that I had to step up to match him," Giardina said.
Erickson, who baffled the Cougars with an on-target array of curveballs, fastballs and changeups, might have had a motivational advantage after Sarasota coach Clyde Metcalf spent the entire week hyping Giardina to his team, which opened the year ranked No. 11 in the country by Baseball America.
"Eric was on a bit of a mission," Metcalf said. "He heard me talk about Carmine all week to our hitters and he had to prove that he could match him."
Erickson did better than that as no Cougar reached second base and only three balls cleared the infield. Giardina allowed two hits, but both resulted in runs.
After a leadoff walk to shortstop Mark Sobolewski, another Miami signee, in the fourth, Joe Terdoslavich slammed the first pitch he saw over the centerfielder's head to break the scoreless tie. Catcher Hampton Tignor singled off Giardina to open the seventh inning, stealing second and third before scoring on a wild pitch to ensure the Sailors (5-2) a victory.
"He's everything he's billed to be," Metcalf said of Giardina. "I hope he's as good as we see all season."
Sarasota assumed first place in Class 6A, District 8 and can lock up the top seed and a bye in the district tournament with a victory in its final district contest vs. East Bay on April 7. The Cougars (7-3) finished their district slate at 5-1, meaning they won't get another shot at the Sailors unless the two meet again in the district championship game.
[Last modified March 11, 2006, 01:44:05]