Floro throws a complete game. Volunteers pick up another win at state tournament.
The Floro family has a history of performing well on the big stage that is the American Legion State Tournament.
Friday afternoon it was Kadon Floro’s turn.
The soon-to-be Buhach Colony sophomore pitched a complete game to help lead the Volunteers to an 8-2 win over Siskiyou as Merced (21-14) improved to 2-0 in the tournament.
The Volunteers will face tournament favorite Petaluma in a winners bracket game on Saturday at noon. The winner advances to the championship game on Sunday.
“That was a shot in the arm,” said Merced coach Rollo Adams, whose team has won seven games in a row. “(Floro) was ahead of the count against most of the hitters. He threw his offspeed stuff for strikes.”
Floro’s older brothers Brock and Dylan both went through the Volunteers program. Dylan played on the Volunteers’ state championship teams in 2007 and 2008 and now is a middle reliever for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kadon went the distance, giving up just five hits and two walks and finished with three strikeouts.
The Volunteers offense back him up with 13 hits and an early lead.
Merced scored one run in the top of the first inning as Joe Flores singles and eventually scored on an error.
The Volunteers doubled the lead in the second inning when Flores drove in John Trujillo with a ground ball to third base.
Clayton Hall then gave Merced a 4-0 lead in the third inning with a two-run home run that plated Floro.
Christian Witt, R.J. Garcia and Hall all drove in runs during a three-run fourth inning that extended the lead to 7-0.
The Volunteers have scored 20 runs in the first two games of the tournament. Floro helped himself with three hits, including two doubles. Hall, Flores, Witt and Garcia all finished with two hits. Flores scored three runs and Hall knocked in three runs.
“We’re getting deep into the at-bats,” Adams said. “Earlier in the summer our guys were swinging at first pitches. They weren’t trusting themselves at the plate. It was like they were afraid to strikeout. It’s almost like a light has gone on. When they are getting their pitches in this tournament they are making other teams pay. That’s going to be key tomorrow against Petaluma.”
Saturday’s matchup against Petaluma is a big swing game. The winner is one win away from a state championship. The loser has to play a second game on Saturday and then beat the other team twice on Sunday.
“The main thing is we have to come out focused,” Adams said. “We’ve explained to the players how important the game is tomorrow. It’s going to be a tough game because either one of us is going to be tough to beat twice on Sunday.”