Birmingham Follows Sedacca to 5-2 Victory

Birmingham High pitcher Alan Sedacca knew he had to change his act this season.

No longer could he be, in his own words, “an erratic pitcher.” He must be a leader for a team on which he is just one of three returning seniors.

Tuesday afternoon, Sedacca continued that transformation, pitching a 5-2 victory over Venice in the third-place game of the Holt-Goodman baseball tournament at Taft.

Sedacca (4-0) allowed five hits, struck out four and walked six while going the distance for the fourth time in four starts. Both runs were unearned; in 28 innings he has allowed just one earned run.

“I’m an emotional player, but I have to control my emotions and enthusiasm,” said Sedacca, who lowered his earned-run average to 0.25. “When I do that, I can be a damn good pitcher.”

The right-hander was working on just two days’ rest, having pitched a five-hit shutout against Grant on Saturday in the tournament’s second round. However, Sedacca was not fazed by the relative lack of rest.

“I don’t feel comfortable when I’ve rested a long time,” he said.

Sedacca was the beneficiary of both some fine defense by left fielder Lindsey Parker, who threw out two runners in the first inning, and some shoddy defense by Venice (6-6-1).

In the first inning, three errors by the Gondoliers accounted for two Birmingham runs. With Justin Bass on second, Dean Kline grounded to third baseman Roland Villasenor, whose throw pulled first baseman Jason Marshall off the bag. Bass then broke for third and Marshall’s return throw sailed over Villasenor’s head, allowing Bass to score and Kline to move to third.

Kline scored when Venice center fielder Chris Staib dropped Mike Shelofsky’s fly ball.

The Braves (5-2) broke open a 2-2 tie in the fifth, scoring three times against tiring Venice starter Fred Smith (0-1).