Southwest Miami 11
Buchholz 4
The Southwest Miami Eagles had their bats working as they pumped out 14 hits to open up play on Wednesday morning against Buchholz.
Right off the bat, SW Miami took a quick lead with RBI from Erick Orbeta and Michael Piulates to go up 2-0. After Buchholz added one of their own in the bottom half, the scoring came to a halt for three innings.
The Eagles blew things open in the fifth with a seven-run outburst. Southwest Miami posted six hits in the inning, including doubles from Danny Cruz and Jorge Tejeda. Eleven Eagles came to the plate in the inning, with Erick Mondelo, Angel Ponce de Leon, Lorenzo Hernandez and Tejeda recording RBIs. A handful of runs were added late int he game for both teams to make the 11-4 final score.
Cruz and Tejeda each recorded three hits in the ballgame. Cruz scored twice and drove in one, while Tejeda scored once and drove in two. Every Eagles starter either scored or drove in a run in the ballgame.
East Lake 4
Strongsville 1
East Lake earned a spot in the championship bracket with a 4-1 win over Strongsville on Wednesday morning.
Mac Grant (East Lake) and Mitch Midea (Strongsville) held each offense scoreless through two innings to start things off. East Lake broke through in the third when Parker Opie swiped home on a double steal. Strongsville got the run back in the fifth on a Giovanni Lombardo RBI single. That would be the only offense for the Mustangs on the day however. The Eagles added one in the fifth on an RBI double from Wilbur Vargas, and then two more in the sixth when Konnor Stine roped a double of his own.
Midea (4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K) and Grant (4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K) each took home no decisions. Connor Marley took home the win with three innings of relief for East Lake. Vargas and Stine, with two hits apiece, accounted for 80% of the Eagles hits on the day. Jack Frank had a double and walked three times to stand out for Strongsville.
Pompano Beach 8
Gainesville 3
The Golden Tornadoes of Pompano Beach punched their ticket into the championship bracket with an 8-3 victory over the Gainesville Hurricanes on Wednesday afternoon.
Trevor Kniskern got things going on offense early with a sac fly that scored Chris Ajello. Pompano then added two more in the third on RBI from Kniskern and Costello. An error in the fourth inning grew the lead to 4-0.
Gainesville made things interesting in the fifth when they put up three runs on a single, hit by pitch and passed ball. The Hurricanes' excitement did not last long though, as the Golden Tornadoes were able to get the three back in the top of the sixth.
Starter Chase Costello was locked in for Pompano Beach, allowing only two hits and three walks over 6.2 innings. Using a fastball that touched up to 94 MPH, the senior racked up a dozen strikeouts in his outing. Riley Skeen contributed three hits and two runs to lead the Pompano offense.
Taravella 9
Cooper City 4
The Taravella Trojans earned a spot to the championship bracket thanks to a great start from Nick Vieira on Wednesday evening.
The Trojans wasted no time getting on the board, throwing a three-spot on the board in the first. Preston Clark and Logan Lixie had RBI base hits, and Lixie later scored on a throwing error by the catcher. Jordan Shulman hit the first of three doubles on the day in the bottom half, scoring teammate Michel Hebding to make it 3-1.
After adding one in the second, Taravella blew things open in the fourth. They loaded the bases with two walks and a hit by pitch to start the inning. After a strikeout, a slew of singles and a dropped fly ball allowed five runs to come across, making the score 9-1. Cooper city fought back, plating one in the sixth and two in the seventh, but it would not be enough to overtake the Trojans.
Vieira lasted 6.1 innings in the game. He scattered nine hits, allowed two earned runs and added nine punchouts to his ledger. Logan Rubin and Preston Clark each recorded three hits in the win.
St. Johns Country Day 2
Westfield 1
The SJCD Spartans were able to outlast the Westfield Bullldogs in Wednesday's night cap, winning 2-1 in extra innings.
Joe Clancy (WHS) and Troy Britts (SJCD) kept a clean sheet through three innings. In the fourth each team managed a run. Derek Furr led off with a triple for Westfield, and was promptly scored by Nick DiVecchia's single. In the bottom half, Tyler Kuramoto reached on a leadoff double for the Spartans. He was replaced by courtesy runner Max Williams. Cody Myers then added a double of his own, scoring Williams and tying the game.
Clacy and Britts then renewed their duel, taking the game to extra innings. Westfield left a runner on third in their half of the eighth. St. Johns did not make the same mistake. After a seeing eye single put Troy Myers on third, it was Kuramoto who would come up big again. He roped a line drive into left, scoring Myers, and giving the Spartans their first win of the week.