West Port dominates Lake Weir, 13-3 

West Port’s catcher Edwin Forty (1) sends Lake Weir’s Austin Dodd (2) out at the plate during a baseball game at West Port High School in Ocala, Fla. on Monday, April 5, 2021. West Port won the game 13-3 in 5 innings. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

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Posted April 6, 2021 | By Brendan Farrell, Brendan@ocalagazette.com 

West Port High School baseball coach Billy Renfroe will tell you that his school’s baseball history hasn’t been sterling.

But he’s got his team believing that they can do anything this year, and they were firing on all cylinders on Monday night.

“They have a good attitude, they do what we ask them to do, they play hard all the time every game, and that’s what I’m most proud of,” he said. “West Port has kind of in the past had a reputation to not do those things, so that’s what I’m proud of.”

A four-run first inning and a seven-run fifth inning bookended a 13-3 mercy-rule win for West Port. The Wolf Pack grabbed the eighth win of the season (8-7), while Lake Weir’s tough season (3-13, 2-1) continues with its eighth straight loss. Wolf Pack starter Cole Renfroe, the coach’s son, pitched all five innings for the complete game.

“What I really liked was their killer instinct tonight,” Billy Renfroe said. “They put their foot on the gas and didn’t let up.”

West Port’s offense went to work immediately. The Wolf Pack’s first three hitters singled before catcher Edwin Forty brought home the game’s first two runs on a double. A passed ball allowed another run to score, and West Port capped off the inning with a sacrifice fly to drive home the fourth run.

Lake Weir answered in the top of the second with a leadoff double by sophomore Manny Geisel, who then scored after a throwing error on the next at-bat to make it 4-1. The Hurricanes managed to hold off the Wolf Pack for an inning, but some small ball by West Port let them widen the lead once again.

Jayson Vaccarino reached first on an error and then stole second to put himself in scoring position. He advanced to third on a Forty single to put runners at the corners. A balk after Forty stole second allowed Vaccarino to score, and then Forty touched home on an RBI single to put West Port up 6-1.

Lake Weir had hopes of a comeback after tallying a couple of runs in the top of the fifth to lessen the lead to 6-3, but West Port shattered those dreams with a sledgehammer in the bottom of the inning.

With runners on first and second, right fielder James McEvoy brought home a run with a double before designated hitter Alex White cleared the bases with a two-RBI double. A walk and a single then loaded the bases for Vaccarino with two outs.

Vaccarino smacked a two-RBI single to increase the lead to eight. Forty’s big night continued with a two-RBI single that ended the game via the mercy rule. Forty had three hits and four RBIs on the night.

“I believe our school record is eight wins, so that feels pretty good,” Billy Renfroe said. “We’re having a really good season, and I’m proud of the guys, they work hard.”