Ethan Mattison, Park Vista baseball down nationally ranked Stoneman Douglas
LAKE WORTH — Stoneman Douglas felt the venom of a Park Vista baseball team hungry for a statement win on Thursday.
The Cobras dealt the nationally ranked squad out of Parkland its worst loss of the season, winning 8-2 with a lights-out performance from senior pitcher Ethan Mattison.
“Today’s win is pretty high up there with the win way back in my sophomore year in the first round of regional playoffs, along with last year’s Jupiter’s win to send us to states,” Mattison said, now navigating his third year as Vista’s ace.
“I’d like to say they all deserve their own No. 1s on my list.”
Although a repeat of 2023’s undefeated 29-0 run is already out of the question, the Eagles are pursuing their fourth consecutive 7A state title.
While nearly pitching a complete game, Mattison gave up six hits and struck out 13.
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Mattison makes the difference once again
”Physically, Douglas got ahead, but mentally I felt like it didn’t matter to me cause I’ve thrown with leads, ties and down early on,” he said.
“It most definitely made me feel like I needed to be better and take advantage of those two-strike counts early on to get outs faster.”
Mattison was frustrated coming off of the mound, but second-inning errors committed by Douglas tied the score at 2-2, and, most importantly, gave the lefty a clean slate.
After the first two innings, Douglas didn’t put another run on the board.
Cobras getting back to 'Park Vista standard'
Vista’s offense supported Mattison with a six-run third inning, highlighted by a three-run RBI double from Johnny Iaciofano in the No. 9 spot in the batting order to put Vista up 7-2, and Josh Hungler’s RBI single to score Joe Calise for the lead.
“I’ve learned from start to start how different teams have tried to get into my head and rattle me early on,” Mattison said. “Going into this season I kept telling myself ‘Do these people really respect me and fear me or is it just a joke?’ and I’ve been pitching in a way to earn the respect of many teams, which sounds pretty crazy from the outside looking in, but for me it’s controlled insanity and aggression.”
The respect Mattison was speaking of was evident on Thursday looking out into the crowd and seeing spectators in different baseball uniforms from around the county supporting the Cobras in their battle for the upset.
“This season has been all around odd for us and many others, so with a big win today, I feel like this team understands the potential we have to beat good teams and win big games,” Mattison said.
Now 8-8 on the season after a 22-4-1 run to 7A state semifinals last spring, Vista received a much-needed reminder of its championship caliber.
“I would absolutely not count us out for going back to Fort Myers, cause I myself still have that sour taste on my tongue and I’m sure many others do as well,” Mattison said.
“We’ve got a lot of fight in this squad and it definitely showed tonight that we are more than hungry to get back to that Park Vista standard and to get back to Fort Myers.”
Emilee Smarr is a sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Park Vista baseball beats Stoneman Douglas behind Mattison gem
