Gators squeak by Florida school, 1-0

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, April 4, 2002 | 11:47 a.m.

Green Valley baseball coach Nick Garritano will be the first to tell you his 2002 squad is a shadow of last year's championship team.

He also knows his current crew is capable of occasional brilliance.

That was certainly the case on Wednesday, as the Gators downed Miami's Columbus High -- the nation's 13th-ranked squad according to Baseball America -- 1-0 on day one of the Desert Classic wood bat tournament.

"We've been struggling, but this is a big win for us," Garritano said. "Hopefully this will turn things around a little before league play starts in a week."

Coming off a campaign that saw them go 28-7 and capture their seventh state title in nine years, the Gators graduated most of their top players, including all-state hitters Garrett Guzman and Zeke Parraz and ace pitcher Jake Dittler.

With just two returning starters among eight position players, the Henderson school has battled through an up-and-down early season, bringing an 8-7 record into this week's tournament.

"We lost three kids that hit over .500 last year and combined for about 40 home runs, and when that happens you're going to be a different team," Garritano said. "My goal is for these kids to get better every single day, and right now we're kind of stuck in a little bit of a lull, especially at the plate."

The Gators managed just enough offense on Wednesday to back left-hander Ryan Tabor, who held the Explorers (18-3) to five hits and struck out 10 batters.

"The umpire was giving me a wide strikezone and I took advantage of it," Tabor said. "I just wanted to go out there and establish a zone early on."

Green Valley scored the game's only run in the second inning when Brian Sizemore doubled, took third on an error and advanced home on a balk by pitcher Gabe Cabrera. That inning aside, Cabrera matched Tabor pitch for pitch, scattering four hits and fanning six.

Following the Desert Classic, which runs through Saturday, the Gators will do battle with ranked Foothill, Basic and Silverado squads, as well as a solid first-year Coronado team, for one of four berths to this year's 4A Sunrise Region Tournament.

"When you're on top of the flagpole, it's very windy," Garritano said. "Just because there's a facelift and you lose good players from the year before doesn't mean teams are going to look past us.

"You just hope your team takes pride in being the defending state champs."