Costanzo, Piper Blank South Plantation In District Clash
Chris Costanzo pitched a complete game for Piper, striking out 10 and allowing two hits. He also had a two-run double.
Piper wanted this one bad. After losing to South Plantation three times last year, it was time for some payback.
Junior pitcher Colby Costanzo remembers the misery of those losses. Coming off a 12-strikeout, 4-0 win over Coconut Creek, Costanzo delivered again, striking out 10 while allowing two hits in a complete-game performance as the Bengals shut out the Paladins 7-0 on Tuesday night in a District 8A-11 matchup.
“They beat us three times last year, so we were very hungry,” Costanzo said. “We needed this win. This is a big comeback win. We’re young and very hungry.”
South Plantation beat Piper 8-5 and 10-0 in the regular season last year before ending Piper’s season in the district semifinal 11-4.
Costanzo, who signed with Florida Memorial last Friday, handcuffed South Plantation with his fastball and “just pounded the zone and my teammates helped me out.”
After giving up a single in the second inning to Randy Korn, Costanzo settled down and struck out the next four in a row and then four of the next six. He didn’t give up another hit until the sixth, a single to Bryan Norente.
“He came out ready,” said Bengals coach Chris Costanzo, Colby’s father. “We had a little bit to prove. We ended last season on a down note. He came out and threw his tail off. All his pitches were working.”
The Bengals (2-1) built an early 2-0 lead as Andre Williams and Cody Stable scored in the first and second innings, respectively.
Piper held on to the 2-0 lead through the fourth inning before breaking open the game in the fifth. After Jovanni Almo walked to lead off the inning, Mike Morejon laid down a bunt single, and Williams was walked to load the bases. Kharlin Sued drove in Almo and Morejon with a base hit. He and Williams came home on Costanzo’s double. Costanzo’s pinch-runner, Mitch Kean, scored on a wild pitch.
Coach Costanzo praised the effective situational hitting and was glad to see the team plate some runs after losing 1-0 to Plantation last Thursday.
“We got patient,” he said. “We executed with men in scoring position, and overall, it was a good team effort. I definitely believe hitting is contagious. This builds us up going into a district game at Taravella.”
That matchup is set for Thursday. South Plantation (0-3) will continue its search for its first win the same night at Western.
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