Bob baseball gendron lakeland fl

LAKELAND | As a child, Lakeland coach Bob Gendron once locked himself in his room for hours after his youth baseball team in Massachusetts lost in the championship game.

More than 30 years later, Gendron, who has won championships at Florida Southern College as a player and assistant coach, still gets a sour taste in his mouth when it comes to losing.

That's only natural when you've had the success that he has.

Now, he's trying to share that success with the Lakeland baseball team.

Gendron, 50, has his baseball team playing in today's FHSAA Class 5A state semifinals against Bradenton Manatee at Digital Domain Park in Port St.

Lucie at 5 p.m. The winner of that game will play for the Class 5A state title Saturday at 7 p.m.

Lakeland is trying to win the team's first state championship since 1959 and Polk County's first baseball state title since Santa Fe Catholic won in 1995.

The Dreadnaughts enter today with a 27-4 record, having wo