Hollywood Lions Roar Past Deerfield Lions 11-6

Eric Hepple gave the Deerfield Lions a strong start Monday night, but the Hollywood Lions eventually got to him en route to an 11-6 win to open the HSBN Fall Classic at Plantation High School.

Hepple pitched two perfect innings to start the game and the bats backed him up early. Third baseman JR Meneses hit a two-out RBI single in the first, second baseman Nick Vazquez knocked in a run in the second and Meneses drove in another run later in the inning as Deerfield jumped out to a 3-0 lead early.

The situation changed in the third inning as things got shaky for Hepple and his defense. After an error, single and hit batter to load the bases, Hepple seemed to be getting back into a rhythm by striking out the next batter looking. An error by the third baseman brought in a run, and then a wild pitch on the next play allowed a second to come in. Hollywood catcher Julian Pino drove in another two with a double, and even though Hepple recorded all three outs via strikeouts, the damage already had been done as Hollywood took the lead, 4-3.

Hollywood followed up its four-run third with a five-run fourth as the bats came alive with plenty of two-out clutch hitting.

“That’s something that has been a struggle for us,” Hollywood manager Mike Moss said. “We have had a lot of situations with second and third and two outs and don’t come up with that big hit. Tonight we did.”

After loading the bases in the fourth inning, Mitch Moorman hit a bases-clearing triple with two outs to break open the game as Hollywood put up five more runs to take a 9-3 lead and never looked back.

“I just wanted to get some guys in and put some runs on the board,” said Moorman, who went 2-for-4 on the night. “My job was to move the runners in and try and get as many people in.”

Hollywood pitcher Austin Westerman got the win, pitching four innings, giving up three runs while walking one and striking out a batter, and that is a big part of what Moss felt kept Hollywood in the game early.

“Austin came out and did exactly what we asked him,” Moss said. “We asked him to give us three or four decent innings, get us started, don’t walk people, just go after them and make them swing the bat, and that’s what he did.”

On the Deerfield side, Meneses led the team offensively, going 1-for-4 while driving in two.

Next up for Hollywood is a matchup against the Hofball Suns on Wednesday while Deerfield takes on host Plantation on Thursday.

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