SPORTS.................................................PGS

BULLSEYE: BLOOMINGDALE BASEBALL HITS THE MARK, WINS FIRST STATE TITLE

The Bloomingdale High School baseball program made history, winning its first state title. The Bulls defeated Fleming Island High School 5-1 in the FHSAA Class 6A State Championship on May 22 at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

“I instantly felt a rush of adrenaline as soon as he hit the fly ball my way, and once it was in my glove, I just thought, ‘We did it,’” said senior outfielder Marlon Bowen, who took home MVP honors with his 4-for5 weekend. “It was only excitement going through my head.”

Bowen, who was arguably the heart and soul of the Bulls, was in the middle of the order, hitting fourth with a .382 batting average and a team high 25 runs batted in. It was Bowen’s first season as a starting varsity player after sitting behind star slugging outfielder Dominic Gonnella. He started the season hitting at the bottom of the order before later breaking through in a big way. He had the key hit against Fleming Island with a triple over the left fielder’s head, driving in two runs and extending the Bull’s lead to 4-0 in the third inning.

After beating St. Petersburg High School 3-2 in the district championship, Bloomingdale (24-6) had a string of close wins leading up to the state final. They had a 7-4 comeback victory against Gaither High School after trailing 4-1 early on, defeated Mitchell High School 2-1 and finished of Gulf Coast High School 4-3 to claim their first regional title since 2014. The Bulls used stellar defense, great base running and timely hitting to beat Dwyer High School to reach their first state title game since the team came up a little bit short against South Dade High School in the 2014 state championship game.

Fourteen-year Head Coach Kris Wilken said that he had his most complete team this season in all facets of the game, including pitching, defense, base running and hitting. The 2021 Bulls had more wins (24) than any other team led by Wilken. He said that his team’s mental toughness is what made the diference.

“You can have teams like that that are very complete; if they are not mentally tough and have the heart, it really doesn’t matter,” he said. “When we got to the playofs, we were very complete, but so were all the teams we played. These kids just wanted it more, and nothing was going to get in their way.” The Bulls got a boost from an unlikely source—junior relief pitcher Chase Chappell, who hadn’t been tapped in nearly a month prior to the regional final. He recorded saves in two straight playof wins leading up to the final. When he was called upon in relief of senior Florida International University signee David Eckaus in the fourth inning, he promptly got out of a jam with runners on first and second with no outs and an inherited 2-0 count. He recorded the last 12 outs to preserve his team’s 5-1 victory. Wilken said that Chappell fixed something in his mechanics during a team scrimmage before the regional final, and that, along with his cool demeanor and competitiveness, gave Wilken the confidence to use him as his number one reliever.

“My mindset going into the game was to get outs and compete like I know I can,” said Chappell. “My goal was to get out of that inning with the least amount of damage done, and we did that as a team. It was a little nerve-wracking going in, but I knew we could do damage control and get out of it.”

Catcher Wyatt Strickland, who helped lead the pitching staf all season long, calling almost every pitch, also went 2-for-3 in the championship game. He was impressed with Chappell’s poise in the biggest game of the year.

“I had no doubt that Chase was going to finish the game,” he said. “His curveball and fastball were really working for him. Our pitchers were consistent throughout the season and were dominant on the mound, and our hitters were locked in throughout the playofs.”

The Bulls are expected to make another run for the title next season with 16 returning players, including shortstop and Clemson University commit Colby Shelton, ace pitcher and Stetson University commit Jack Owens and leadof hitter Drake Harman.

“Next year’s seniors sure have a hard expectation to live up to, because this year wasn’t easy at all,” said Bowen. “With that being said, I know that they can overcome anything if they stick together and build a bond with each other.”

Te Bloomingdale Bulls Varsity Baseball team won their frst state championship. “Tis team didn’t need coaches to keep them focused, the team encouraged each other,” said Coach Wilson.

TAMPA BAY HISTORY CENTER OFFERS FREE ADMISSION TO MILITARY PERSONNEL AND THEIR FAMILIES THIS SUMMER

The Tampa Bay History Center is a proud participant in the Blue Star Museums program. As a part of this program, the Tampa Bay History Center is ofering free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel, including National Guard, Reserve and their families, now through Labor Day on Monday, September 6.

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and thousands of museums across the U.S.

Families are asked to register in advance by calling the Tampa Bay History Center at 228-0097 and speaking with a visitor service associate to reserve tickets. Identification is required upon entry. Free admission is available to military ID holders and up to five family members.

The military ID holder can be either an active duty service member or other dependent family member with the appropriate ID card. The active duty member does not have to be present for family members to use the program; just bring your DD Form 1173 ID Card or DD Form 1173-1 ID Card for active duty military family members.

Manny Leto, director of marketing and communications for the Tampa Bay History Center, said, “The Bay area’s military history is a big part of the story we tell in the History Center’s galleries, from MacDill Air Force

Base to Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders in the 1890s, or the Women’s Air Corps during WWII. We always want to support our military Te Tampa Bay History Center will ofer free families, to provide an admission through Labor Day to military per- opportunity to spend sonnel and their families this summer thanks a day at the museum, to its participation in the Blue Star Museum and we hope they’ll program. see some of their own stories reflected in our exhibits.” The Tampa Bay History Center is located along Tampa’s beautiful Riverwalk at 801 Water St. The museum includes three floors of permanent and temporary exhibition space focusing on 12,000 years of Florida’s history and culture. The Tampa Bay History Center is a Smithsonian Afliate museum and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The History Center includes the Touchton Map Library and Florida Center for Cartographic Education and the Witt Research Center. It is also home to the Columbia Cafe. As one of Tampa’s premier cultural venues, the Tampa Bay History Center’s hands-on, interactive exhibits and theaters provide an entertaining and educational experience for visitors of all ages. Admission to the Tampa Bay History Center also includes the exhibit Tusks to Tails: A Fossil History of Florida, which is on view now through January 11, 2022. For more information, visit www.tampabayhistorycenter.org. For more information on Blue Star Families, visit www.bluestarfam. org.

TAMPA THEATRE’S SUMMER CLASSICS MOVIE SERIES IS BACK BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER

This year, Tampa Theatre will celebrate 30 years of presenting its popular Summer Classics Movie Series. There is no better way to see classic movies than the way they should be seen—on the big screen.

Jill Witecki with Tampa Theatre said, “Last summer, with Tampa Theatre closed during the pandemic, the 29th annual Summer Classics series did not happen. This year, as people start to return to their favorite leisure activities again, we hope that this year’s lineup of all-time favorite Summer Classics—along with our reduced capacity and other safety precautions—may encourage our friends and fans to make their post-shutdown ‘First Movie Back’ a classic at Tampa Theatre.”

Something that fans have been asking for is going to be ofered this year: Tampa Theatre is ofering each Summer Classic more than once. Films will be shown both on Sunday at 3 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. on the following Thursday evening.

Tampa Theatre will present Citizen Kane on Sunday, June 27 at 3 p.m. and Thursday,

July 1 at 7:30 p.m. The war classic Glory will be shown on Sunday, July 4 at 3 p.m. and again on Thursday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m. You can see the Hitchcock thriller North by Northwest on Sunday, July 11 at 3 p.m. Tampa Theatre will present it again on Thursday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m. Tampa Theatre will present the comedy classic The Big Lebowski on Sunday, July 18 at 3 p.m. and then again on Thursday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. Following that, the hit classic Jurassic Park can After missing the 29th year of the Summer Classics Movie be seen on Sun-

Series due to COVID-19 shutdown, Tampa’s majestic day, July 25 at movie palace, Tampa Teatre, is bringing back a great 3 p.m. and then, lineup of favorite flms along with a long-awaited request from fans: more than one showing of each flm. if you miss the Sunday show, see it on Thursday, July 29 at 7:30 p.m. Some Like It Hot will be shown on the big screen on Sunday, August 1 at 3 p.m. and then again on Thursday, August 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for Summer Classics films are $10 at the historic Franklin Street Box Office, $12 if purchased online ($7 for members). Silent films are $13 at the box ofce or $15 online ($10 for members). For more information, please visit www.tampatheatre.org.