Dr. Phillips baseball gets important Metro win at Ocoee | Observer Preps

OCOEE — Wins have been hard to come by for the Dr. Phillips baseball team over the past month or so — after racing out to a 5-0 start, the Panthers have won just four of their past 13 games.

Of those losses, several have come by just one run or two.

So, when Dr. Phillips led the host Ocoee Knights 2-0 through five innings April 13, it stood to reason that coach Mike Bradley's club wouldn't rest easy until it had a larger lead. Luckily, the Panthers' bats came alive in the top-half of the sixth inning, as James Hurst, CJ Cantwell and August Haymaker each drove in a run, and Dr. Phillips (10-10) held on for a 6-0 Metro West Conference victory against the Knights (13-8).

"It's no secret that we've been struggling, in the middle-third and latter-third of the season here, swinging the bats," Bradley said afterward. "For our guys to step up here when it matter, that was great to see."

Three pitchers teamed up for the shutout on the mound for the Panthers, as Cort Roedig got the start — and the win — pitching three-and-two-thirds innings and allowing just three hits. Logan Bryan pitched two strong innings in relief and Casey Carns closed it out for Dr. Phillips.

Ethan Long tossed five strong innings for Ocoee, allowing two runs on three hits.