Sarasota beats Lakewood Ranch by one run for the third time this season

Pablo Garabitos fired his 80th pitch toward home plate, and Alex Arauz swung.

Or did he?

Longtime Sarasota High School head baseball coach Clyde Metcalf said he didn’t think Arauz offered. Lakewood Ranch’s head coach Ryan Kennedy said he didn’t see it.

The rest of the Mustangs’ coaches, players and fans reacted to the pivotal sixth-inning pitch that swiftly shifted momentum to host Sarasota in Thursday’s Class 8A-District 8 championship game.

Arauz checked his swing, which was confirmed by the first base umpire after an appeal.

“I didn’t think he went and it was big,” Metcalf said. “But the only reason we check swing on a pitch in the dirt is because his curveball was so good all (game).”

The Sailors followed with two straight hits on their way to a 3-2 victory against the Mustangs to win the district championship.

It’s the third time that Sarasota (19-8) has defeated Lakewood Ranch (15-12) by one run this season. And it sends the Mustangs on the road against the winner of St. Petersburg and Tarpon Springs East Lake in next week’s region quarterfinal.

“With all the championships, state championships they’ve won, they have this mannerism, this swag about them,” Kennedy said. “They’re never out of a ballgame. There’s a reason why they have some national championships, and some first-round picks.”

Garabitos was on fire throughout Thursday’s contest, throwing 72 of his 91 pitches for strikes. Mixing and matching a fastball with a devastating breaking ball, Garabitos quieted Sarasota’s bats through the first four innings.

Then the Sailors crept to within one run after Brooks Larson drove in John Mucci with a double to left field.

“We just had to get within (one),” Metcalf said. “Once we got within one, I think our kids were pretty comfortable.”

Earlier, Dylan Buck armed Lakewood Ranch with a 2-0 lead after smashing a two-run home run to left field in the third inning.

That two-out homer drove in Garabitos, who connected with a key two-out hit, to provide the Mustangs with an early lead.

It stood until the bottom of the sixth inning when Ben McCabe singled with one out, then Arauz walked on the full-count pitch that had the Mustangs’ faithful rising out of their seats in dismay.

Even Garabitos was brought to a crouching position on the call.

“It’s a judgment call,” Kennedy said. “That’s not what cost us the game. We had opportunities. We just couldn’t execute some opportunities.”

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 10:48 PM with the headline "Sarasota beats Lakewood Ranch by one run for the third time this season."