Westminster Wins Group Six; Deerfield Tops McArthur

Westminster Academy used a four-run third inning to take the lead for good and defeat South Plantation 10-2 in a Group Six game of the HSBN/Perfect Recruits Fall Classic on Saturday at McArthur High School.

The win gives Westminster a spot in the second round as the group winner based on fewest runs allowed among the three teams that finished 2-1: Westminster, Deerfield Beach and McArthur.

In the late game, Deerfield capitalized on McArthur’s mistakes to take an 8-5 win.

After grabbing a 1-0 lead in the second on Frankie Corridori’s fielder’s choice RBI, Westminster broke open the game in the third, scoring four runs by playing some effective small ball. Blake Kidwell, who was walked, came home on Sam Etter’s squeeze bunt down the third-base line. Etter reached first on the play and came home on an error that also scored Zach Gonzalez. Weston Clemente drew a walk and scored on a wild pitch.

“We were extremely aggressive on the base paths and didn’t sit back and wait for hits,” Westminster coach Nick James said. “We were fortunate to capitalized on errant throws and push across a couple of runs.”

South Plantation, which evened the score at 1 in the bottom of the first when Phil Palestro scored on a wild pitch, tacked on a run in the fourth as Palestro brought in Moses Matos with a base hit. Matos also singled.

Westminster didn’t sit back on its 5-2 lead and gave itself a good cushion by adding a run in the sixth on Kidwell’s squeeze bunt that brought in Jake Dudas and then scoring four more runs in the seventh. Clemente singled to lead off the inning and was followed by walks to Gabe Delgado and Corridori. Dudas was hit by a pitch to score Clemente, and Delgado and Dudas came around to score on Will Buschman’s two-run single. Kidwell followed with an RBI single of his own, scoring Dudas.

Westminster got solid pitching throughout the game by starter Clemente and reliever Buschman.

“We made a concerted effort to pound the strike zone and put the ball in play,” James said. “Weston did a good job, and then Will came in and pitched well.”

Although Westminster won handily in the first game, Deerfield Beach had to stave off a persistent McArthur team.

McArthur opened the first inning with two runs on wild pitches. Run scorers Dylan Segula and Kevin Rosario reached base with a single and an error, respectively.

The Bucks turned the tables in the bottom of the first and took advantage of a rough start for the Mustangs, scoring four runs on wild pitches and an RBI single by Joey Ursetti. Luis Matias, Andre Campbell, Ramon Zorilla and Austin Soeder drew consecutive walks to start the game. Matias, Campbell and Soeder came home on wild pitches, and Ursetti’s base hit scored Zorilla.

But Deerfield knew a two-run lead wouldn’t do and extended its lead in the third and fourth. Ursetti walked and came home on a wild pitch, and Aaron Johnson drew a walk and stole home in the third. The pitching woes continued for McArthur in the fourth as the first three batters reached on walks. Matias scored on an error before Soeder doubled in Zorilla.

McArthur’s Kevin Lopez doubled to score Oliver Valejo in the fourth before the Mustangs rallied for two runs in the sixth. Segula and Valejo scored on yet another two wild pitches, but McArthur could get no closer.

“We knew this was going to be a tough game,” Bucks coach Scott Bragg said. “We needed to clean up the errors and we did a much better job tonight. We made the plays tonight that we had been sloppy on all week.”

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