Northeast Falls Short Against West Boca

For five innings Thursday night, it looked like West Boca’s first trip out of Palm Beach County this season would result in the end of their eight-game win streak.

The Bulls pulled it out late against Northeast though, scoring twice in the sixth and nine times in the seventh to overcome a 2-0 deficit and extend their unbeaten run with an 11-2 victory.

“We came out a little flat tonight,” West Boca coach Nick Siano said. “It’s our third game in three nights and sort of our ‘getaway’ game with us going to Tampa this weekend.”

West Boca (9-2, 5-0) were led by junior Angelo Dovas, who pitched a second straight gem, allowing just two runs (one earned) on four hits over six and one-third innings. Dovas, who struck out nine in a complete game win over Olympic Heights last week, was also 3-for-4 with an RBI.

“We didn’t expect Angelo to throw much for us this season, but he’s pretty much turned into our number one or two with all of our injuries,” Siano said. “He goes out there and pounds the zone. I don’t think he walked anyone tonight, and that’s what we preach – get ahead and then make them chase your pitches.”

Northeast (7-5, 5-1), trying to snap a two-game losing streak, struck first in the second inning when Abrailis Jimenez, who had led off with a single up the middle, scored on a Nehymiah Neuman groundout two batters later. JD Kelly would also cross the plate, as he took advantage of a poorly executed run-down attempt between first and second, scooting home on an error.

Hurricanes starter Ralph Morel, who has been excelling on the mound and at the plate all season, allowed a number of Bulls batters to reach base all night, but kept getting out of trouble. He picked off an amazing three runners on the evening – two at second, one at third – and had some very timely strikeouts.

Morel’s biggest escape came in the fifth, when he allowed West Boca to load the bases with two outs. Bulls’ cleanup hitter Sean Kuchta stepped up, looking to do some damage.

With a 3-1 hitter’s count, Kuchla took a very questionable strike two on the outside corner that sent the Bulls dugout crazy, and then struck out one pitch later to end the threat.

Dovas, meanwhile, was cruising. He allowed only two batters to reach base between the third and fifth innings, and finally got the run support he was looking for in the top of the sixth.

A one-out single by Dovas ended Morel’s night thanks to a high pitch count, and then courtesy runner Marco Capo scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to one.

Up stepped ninth hitter Nick D’Agostino, whose double to right-center field scored Dovas, swinging the momentum in favor of the Bulls.

When Morel was stranded at third in the bottom of the sixth, things shifted even more West Boca’s way, and then when reliever Eduardo Uriarte was unable to
throw strikes in the seventh, it was clear Northeast was in trouble, and things really escalated quickly from there.

The first big blow came when, with the bases loaded, Bulls catcher Gary Garcia grounded to shortstop. The throw home was very high and to the backstop, which allowed two runs to score.

RBI singles from Koby Pepia, Dovas, Chris Busch, and two-run singles by both Bradley Busch and Sean Kuchta were to follow, and that was that.

Dovas almost went the distance, but was pulled only two batters short, after throwing 76 pitches.

“I know that if I throw strikes, the defense is going to make plays behind me,” Dovas said. “And I knew someone was going to come up clutch. We could feel the fire in the dugout and kinda knew something was going to roll.”

“We’ve been in some of these close games, but our team is just young and inexperienced. We just haven’t been able to find a way to win some of them,” losing coach Kevin Carney said. “We just need to keep fighting through it. We ran out of gas a little tonight, too.”

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