Loyola coach Tim Nordbrook saw Mount St. Joseph sophomore right-hander Gavin Floyd throw last summer.
Yesterday in Towson, the former Baltimore Orioles' shortstop watched Floyd pitch the No. 2-ranked Gaels to a 6-1 victory over his No. 5 Dons.
"He's gone from trying to throw hard-to-throwing easy to throw hard," was Nordbrook's superb description of the 6-foot-4, 190-pound flame-thrower's effortless delivery.
"He seems to have a real good idea on when to throw his [curve], and at the end of the game, I believe he was throwing harder than he was at the beginning."
Floyd threw 115 pitches, 79 of them strikes, for seven innings, with his fast ball clocked consistently at 88-to-90 mph. He scattered six singles, walked three and struck out eight (five in the middle innings) to post his sixth win without a loss.
In the first inning, the 16-year old Floyd hit 93 mph once on the radar gun of Milwaukee Brewers' scout Dean Albany and was consistently at 90-91 mph.
Floyd, who coach Dave Norton said is "definitely our ace," didn't let up, despite Nordbrook's strategy of making him throw a lot.
Floyd's big-league heat, coupled with an adequate curve ball, dealt Loyola (10-3 overall, 8-1 league) its first loss in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference.
Mount St. Joseph (13-4, 7-2), a 3-2 loser the first time it met the Dons, is now a game behind. No. 3 Calvert Hall and 11th-ranked Archbishop Curley follow at 7-3 and 6-4, respectively.
Junior shortstop Allen Strick homered twice off Loyola starter and loser Jeff Fertitta for three RBIs. Third baseman Steve Brown, drove in the other three runs with a single and double.
Strick's second homer, a towering, two-run shot to right-center in the top of the seventh, broke open a close game, giving the Gaels a 5-1 lead and chasing Fertitta, who gave up six hits, walked two, and struck out two.
Loyola tied the game in the fourth on a Ryan Smith's single to right past Gaels' drawn-in first baseman Joe Hargadon.
Howard upsets Eagles, 9-2
Right-hander Matt Sands (2-0) pitched his first complete game, striking out five, as No. 19-ranked Howard upset No. .7 Centennial, 7-2, yesterday.
Howard's John Baker was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and three RBIs as the Lions (9-3) won their ninth straight.
Pub Date: 4/21/99