Bayshore baseball forfeits playoff spot because of pitch count violation

Bayshore High School forfeited its Class 5A-District 11 final and surrendered its Class 5A-Region 3 tournament berth after learning it used an ineligible player in its last game.

Bayshore starter Jared Richardson pitched a two-hitter and struck out seven to lead the second-seeded Bruins past Sarasota Booker, 6-2, in the Class 5A-District 11 semifinal on Tuesday, setting up a scheduled district final at home Thursday night against fourth-seeded Southeast.

However, Richardson became ineligible in the seventh inning of the semifinal after he reached the FHSAA’s pitch-count limit but was kept on the mound to finish the game.

The FHSAA changed its pitch-count policy during the offseason. The new pitch county policy factors in age and days of rest to determine the maximum number of pitches a player can throw during a game. Players between the ages of 13 and 16 can throw a maximum of 95 pitches. Those age 17 or 18 can max out at 105 pitches, and players 19 or older can throw 120.

Pitchers who reach the pitch-count limit are allowed to finish pitching to that batter. Schools are required to track their own pitch counts. The age rules permitted Richardson to throw 105 pitches.

Bruins athletic director Chris Brady said in an email that Bayshore misinterpreted the rule, which requires pitchers to have a full seven days of rest after exceeding the pitch count limit and limited Richardson to finishing only the at-bat during which he reached his pitch-count limit.

The Seminoles (10-16) advance to the region playoffs as the district winner, and the runner-up spot will be left vacant, per Florida High School Athletic Association rules. The champion of Class 5A-District 12 — the winner of Thursday’s Englewood Lemon Bay-Lake Placid game — will have a bye for the region quarterfinals. The Seminoles, who were the No. 4 seed in their district, will face the loser Tuesday at Southeast High School.

“We’ve always had a ton of confidence in our guys,” Southeast head coach Brett Andrzejewski said. “We had the talent to be the kind of team that we’re playing like here toward the end of the year.”

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 11:36 AM with the headline "Bayshore baseball forfeits playoff spot because of pitch count violation."