University Scores In Ninth, Beats Coral Springs

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The University Suns made their path to the second round a lot easier on Wednesday night. The Suns scored five runs early and then had to rally in the ninth to defeat host Coral Springs 6-5 in a Bracket 1 game of the HSBN/Perfect Recruits Fall Classic. The win puts University in position to control its own fate into the second round.

After two scoreless innings, the Suns got to Colts starter Brett Schneider in the third. After Charlie Gomez opened the inning with a flyout to center, Sebastian Diaz walked. JJ Cormier then drove in the first run of the game with a double to left-center. Andrew Denis followed with a base hit, and Mike White hit a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0. The big inning continued with a single from Brenden McKendry and a walk to starting pitcher Freddie Sultan. Laurenz Reyes closed the scoring in the inning with a two-run single.

The damage in the third might have been worse for the Colts had second baseman Dylan Ebel not made a nice play to end the inning.

The Colts answered back with a run of their own in the bottom of the third. Trey Dingus collected one of his three hits on the day to start the rally. Lewis Brinson, who signed with the University of Florida earlier in the day, showed his multi-dimensional game when he bunted for a hit. Jordan Gleisher walked, and Aaron Maller hit a sac fly. Sultan worked out of the jam by getting Vinny Cerullo to fly out to left.

The scored stayed the same until the Colts half of the fifth. Coral Springs started their comeback by plating two runners in the inning. Dingus had the big hit in the inning, a double to drive in one of the runs. Brinson follwed with a double, but was stranded at third after three straight outs by the Colts to end the inning.

Coral Springs did finally come all the way back in the sixth. Dalton Wolchik walked to open the inning and pinch-hitter Mike Montalvo moved Wolchik to second with a well-executed sacrifice bunt. Wolchik then moved to third on a wild pitch and scored the tying run on a groundout by Dingus.

Relievers Cole Bumbales (Colts) and Denis (Suns) both threw well to keep their teams in the game in the middle innings after their team’s starters struggled. Denis threw the final five innings for University.

The game stayed tied after the sixth until the Suns came up in the ninth. A hit-by-pitch and two walks loaded the bases, and Diego Perez drove in what eventually would be the winning run with a sac fly to center.

The Suns moved their tournament record to 2-0. If they defeat Pembroke Pines Charter on Saturday, they will move on to the second round of the tournament next week. The Colts will have to win their remaining two games and hope to win the tiebreaker for a wild-card spot in the next round.

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