Seibold Throws A Gem, Leads American Heritage To Win Over CS Charter

Alex Seibold had the tall task of taking the ball Friday night on the heels of a tough American Heritage loss to district rival North Broward Prep. Seibold responded in a way that made all Patriots fans breath a sigh of relief.

Heritage got back to their winning ways with a 3-0 victory over Coral Springs Charter, largely due to the right arm of Seibold. The junior threw a complete game, giving up only four hits, and the Patriots did just enough offensively to get Seibold the win.

Last week, Seibold did not have his best stuff when he lost to traditional South Florida powerhouse Westminster Christian. On Friday, the Heritage starter was out for redemption.

“I felt like I had something to prove, since I wasn’t too good last week,” said Seibold. “I was just trying to keep the ball down, with the small field, anytime the ball goes in the air, it can go out.”

Keeping the ball on the ground or out of play completely was routine for Seibold versus the Panthers. Of the twenty-one outs recorded, seventeen came by either strikeout or ground out. The performance was not lost on Heritage Head Coach Todd Fitz-Gerald.

“He had a little something to prove after his last outing,” said Fitz-Gerald. “He went back to work a little bit harder this week, focused a little bit more, and he told us his goal was to throw a shutout. I thought he pitched great.”

The game was scoreless until the fourth inning. After a ground out, Brandon Lopez drew a walk. Derrick Fritz then hit a fly ball to right field that Cody Woodburn was having trouble picking up in the twilight. It turns out Woodburn never had a chance to field the ball as it sailed over the fence, giving Heritage a 2-0 lead.

The Patriots added on a run in the fifth when freshman Brandon Vicens was hit by a pitch. After laying on the ground for several minutes, Vicens was able to get up and stay in the game, and on the next pitch, he stole second base. Dallas Perez attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt, and when pitcher Derek Vetere threw the ball down the right field line, Vicens scored.

The error was one of the only mistakes made by Vetere on the night.

“Derek was terrific. He’s been excellent all year,” said Panthers Head Coach Jerry Albert. “I can’t say enough about Derek’s performance.”

Heritage will go in to the District 14-3A playoffs as the number two seed. CS Charter is now tied with Pine Crest for the fourth seed in the district.

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