Bobcats Put Themselves In Position To Advance In Bracket F

The Bobcats of West Broward are hungry to show the area’s top teams that they are ready to play with them.

The team approached the 2012 HSBN Fall Classic as a great opportunity to make some noise in the county.

Their hunger and drive has manifested itself in their play on the field, and on Thursday, this relentless attack helped pave the way to a 5-1 victory over the Golden Tornadoes in a Bracket F contest played at Northeast High.

The Bobcats (2-0 in the tournament) now find themselves on the verge of earning the right to advance to the next round of the tournament. A win on Saturday against the Pembroke Pines Jaguars guarantees that, although the team may still advance regardless at this point.

“The first two games don’t mean anything if we don’t take care of business on Saturday,” Bobcats manager Sergio Ambros said. “We have to be ready. That is the bottom line.”

Against the Tornadoes (1-1), the Bobcats proved they were ready to go right out of the gate, jumping on the board with two scores in the top of the first inning for all the runs they ultimately would need.

Leadoff hitter Xavier Beltran amplified the team’s style by legging out an infield hit to start the game. After Christian Khawly moved Beltran to second on a fielder’s choice groundout, Daniel Pardo perfectly placed a blooper into no-man’s land in shallow left field to plate the team’s first run with an RBI double.

Pardo wasted little time in swiping third base and then crossed home after starting pitcher Andrew Perez was called for a balk.

The senior center fielder reached base on all four attempts, including a triple in the fourth inning, to go 2-for-3. He was also solid on defense, running down a deep shot from Shaw Pinnell on the Tornadoes’ longest hit of the night.

As a whole, the Bobcats played an up-tempo and spirited game that seemed to fuel the players along the way. The Bobcats were aggressive in their approach at the plate and on the base paths, as the team put runners on base in every inning.

“We want them to be aggressive, and we stress to them to be aggressive early,” Ambros said. “Look for something to drive and do it, do not wait on it. That is what we tell them.”

The Tornadoes answered back with their first swings in the bottom of the first. Garrett Hiott drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, and then moved to third when Matt Fengler hit into a fielder’s choice. Pinnell then found a hole on the left side to drive Hiott home and cut the deficit to 2-1.

But Bobcats starter Matt Hardy buckled down to limit the Tornadoes to two more hits the rest of the way. Although he was not overpowering, Hardy showcased great command and got stronger as the game wore on to take control of his hitters. He exited after 79 pitches over five innings to earn the victory, finishing with seven strikeouts and only two walks.

“We came out flat tonight,” Tornadoes coach Ryan Combs said. “We weren’t ready to play off the bat and we faced a good pitcher who got after us.”

The Bobcats extended their lead in the second when Khawly drove in Chayce Eldon on a two-out single up the middle. They added a run apiece in the fourth and fifth innings to pull away with the victory.

Codey Williams was 2 for 4 with an RBI and Chris Lopez reached base all three times with a single and a pair of walks.

The Tornadoes will face the Bracket F host Hurricanes in the nightcap on Saturday with a chance to advance still possible.

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