Melton’s Gem Helps Jaguars Clinch Second Seed In District 8A-11

Jacob Melton and his Coral Glades teammates had something to play for Tuesday night in their district match-up with Piper. A Jaguars win would help the team clinch the second seed in District 8A-11 and guarantee themselves a first-round bye in the upcoming playoffs.

Coral Glades played like a team that had a goal in mind, and the end result was a 6-0 win over the Bengals. Melton had his best performance of the season, going six innings and allowing no runs on three hits. He also had a stellar line of 10 strikeouts and no walks.

“Last game, I didn’t pitch so well, so tonight I challenged myself,” Melton said. “We worked really hard this week, and tonight I went to the mound with a go-get-’em attitude. I threw first-pitch strikes and did my best to keep them off the bases and the scoreboard, and it worked out.”

The first time these two teams met back on March 1st, the Jaguars turned the game into a track meet, stealing 10 bases. This time, the total was down, but the six stolen bases for Coral Glades displayed the aggressive attitude it has taken when facing the Bengals this season.

“It’s not really about the team we’re playing,” said Jaguars head coach Jorge Miranda. “That’s just the type baseball we like to play. We have got to try and manufacture runs, and we have a lot of guys that can run and put the ball in play, so we’re going to always use that to our advantage when we get an opportunity.”

Piper starter Jesse Crosno matched Melton for the first three innings, giving up only one run. In the fourth, the Jaguars’ base-running, combined with a sloppy Bengals defense, contributed to three Coral Glades runs. Single runs in the fifth and sixth closed the scoring on the day and sent the Jaguars into the postseason as the second seed in the district.

The win and securing the second seed were cause for celebration for Coral Glades players, who doused Miranda with the Gatorade bucket after the game. The team knew that getting that first-round bye could be monumental if it wants to advance out of the district for the first time in school history.

“Throughout the years, we’ve always battled for that three seed,” said Miranda. “For us, this season, getting that bye puts us one game closer to our goal of winning a district championship. Having to play two games instead of three in the playoffs doesn’t guarantee us anything, but it does make our road to the regionals a little more manageable.”

On the other side of the field, Piper had their own hopes of moving up into the two position in the district, but the team came out flat, much to the surprise of head coach Chris Costanzo.

“We came off a big win last week on Tuesday against Taravella, then our game Thursday was cancelled, and I think we lost a little bit of our momentum. But I’ve got to tip my hat to that kid (Melton). He pitched a great game against us. Now our team has to realize that the next three games are important if we want the third seed.”

Piper’s next game will be against Coral Springs, the team that has already clinched the top seed. The biggest game in the battle for number three will come next week when the Bengals face Douglas. The teams are tied with a 5-4 district record, one game better than Taravella.

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