Colts And Panthers Tie Their Way Into Second Round

Sometimes, motivation comes in the form of pressure. On Saturday night, the Colts and Panthers locked up in the ultimate tournament scenario, with the winner moving to the second round of the HSBN Fall Classic, and the loser seeing their tourney end. Fortunately for the two teams, who played well throughout the game, neither will spend next week at home after the game ended in a 1-1 tie after eight innings, sending both to the second round.

The Colts and Panthers turned their tournament fate over to Mike Montalvo and Etienne Latour, and both starting pitchers responded to the pressure. The two righties exchanged big pitch after big pitch, and runs were at a premium as the two teams battled to advance.

The tie gave the Panthers the Bracket B crown, going 2-0-1 in the first round, and beating the Colts on a tiebreaker with five runs given up in their three games. The Panthers will be the number four seed in the second round and will face the six-seeded B-Cats in a three-game series beginning Tuesday at Flanagan High. The Colts, who earned one of the wild card berths, will be seeded seventh and face the second-seeded Hollywood Lions in another series at Coral Springs High.

“It was a great game. Both teams played very well tonight,” said Panthers manager Onel Garcia. “The pitching was outstanding, and the guys were really battling on both sides. It was fitting to see the game end in a tie because both teams played well enough to win.”

The Panthers had the early lead when they broke through in the top of the fifth inning of a 0-0 game. Latour helped his own cause by leading off the inning with a double to right center. Marlon Romero followed with a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt. Lead-off hitter Trevor Takacs then singled home the games first run. Montalvo was able to escape further damage, and the score remained 1-0 Panthers.

The Colts had a chance to strike the inning before when Latour found himself in the first real jam of the game. Ryan DeNardo worked a one-out walk, and Vinnie Cerullo hit what looked like an RBI double. Designated runner Juan Castillo stumbled rounding third, and had to be held by Colts manager Frank Bumbales. Latour then got a strikeout and a pop-out to end the threat.

“He really competes out there,” Garcia said of his number two pitcher. Although Latour throws after last year’s ace Brandon Acevedo in the rotation, Garcia was quick to point out Latour’s true ability.

“I hate to call him our number two because he has good enough stuff that he can beat anybody, and he showed that tonight. He commands his pitches, and he hits his spots. I’m not afraid to throw him in any game.”

In their half of the fifth, the Colts again threatened, but this time they were able to scratch across a run. A one-out single by Justin Mixon started the rally. Mixon then stole second, and the Colts were in business when Matt Messina walked. Tre Dingus followed with an RBI single to tie the game. The Colts were looking for the lead when Andrew Rohloff hit a potential sacrifice fly to center, but Messina was thrown out at the plate on a perfect throw from Acevedo.

“That’s why he’s out there in center,” Garcia said. “I don’t think they realized how good an arm he has.”

From there, Montalvo and Latour finished their day’s work without giving up another run. Montalvo went seven innings, striking out seven Panthers. Latour threw six innings, striking out six.

“We’ve been trying to get to the level where we can compete with the top teams, and we’ve been progressing as a team,” said Latour. “We won the bracket, and that feels great. The energy was up from the first pitch tonight, and it will be the same thing next week. We want to win this tournament, and if we keep playing like we did this week, I believe we can.”

For the Colts, the spot they are in is a familiar one. Last year, they also finished second in their bracket and qualified for a wild-card berth in the second round. The tie Saturday ensured the defending champs a chance to defend their title.

“This is a different team than last year, and I’m proud of the way they played this week,” said Bumbales. “These guys are young, but they stepped up. Now we get a chance to see them in a little bit more of a pressure situation next week. It should be interesting.”

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